News Analysis India

Tag: vaccination

  • Centre advises poll-bound states to speedily ramp up COVID19 vaccination 

    By Online Desk

    NEW DELHI: The Centre on Monday advised the poll-bound states to speedily ramp up the COVID19 vaccination of all eligible populations for the first dose and ensure that those who were due for the second dose are administered the second dose.

    The poll-bound states were also advised to exponentially increase the testing to ensure that the infected cases are identified promptly for timely initiation of public health response measures, and to ensure that there is no sudden upsurge in numbers due to low testing.

    The state authorities were strongly advised to ensure that recommended COVID Appropriate Behavior is strictly followed and adequate measures are undertaken for their effective enforcement, according to a statement issued by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

    Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan held a high level meeting with the five poll bound states of Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab to review the public health response measures for containment and management of COVID19, and the vaccination status in these states.

    While Uttarakhand and Goa have reported vaccination coverage for the first and second doses higher than the national average, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Manipur have COVID19 vaccination coverage numbers below the national average. A total of 142.38 crore vaccination doses have been administered as on date, of which more than 83.80 crore vaccine doses are for the first dose and more than 58.58 crore are second doses of COVID19 vaccine.

  • MP: Dead man gets COVID-19 vaccination certificate in Madhya Pradesh’s Rajgarh

    By PTI

    RAIGARH: A deceased senior citizen allegedly received a message about having taken the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and got a certificate for the same in Madhya Pradesh’s Rajgarh district, an official said on Saturday.

    The authorities have cited computer error as a reason for the goof-up, in which Purushottam Shakyawar (78) of Biaora town, who died in May, received a message on his mobile phone number that he was administered the second dose of the vaccine on December 3.

    According to the deceased man’s son Phool Singh Shakyawar, they received the message on December 3 and were also able to download the vaccine certificate.

    Shakyawar said his father had taken the first dose of the vaccine on April 8, and had died on May 24 while undergoing treatment in Indore.

    When asked about the goof-up, District Vaccination Officer Dr P L Bhagoria said he had received information about the matter and was inquiring into it. A glitch in the computer might have generated such a message, he said.

    Biaora’s block medical officer Dr Sharad Sahu said that since vaccination is being carried out on a large scale, someone might have entered the wrong mobile phone number while making an entry, and the mistake will be rectified.

    Meanwhile, Congress MLA from Biaora Ramchandra Dangi alleged that the state government was misleading people by presenting the wrong data of vaccination.

    Such incidents were exposing the government’s claim and a high-level inquiry should be conducted into all such cases, he said.

  • Uttarakhand launches door to door campaign to achieve full vaccination

    By Express News Service

    DEHRADUN: Uttrakhand state government has launched ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ drive under which ASHA workers and social groups enrolled by the state health department are going door to door to check on those who have not been yet vaccinated.

    Dr Dinesh Chauhan, district immunization officer of Dehradun district said, “The ASHA workers are going door to door with specific questions including reason of not getting vaccinated yet. District level officers will be forwarding these reports to the state government authorities for further action.”

    The team will pay special attention to pregnant women while conducting the door to door visit to spot those who have not been vaccinated yet.

    The drive has been launched to step up the Covid 19 vaccination drive as the state government aims to completely vaccinate eligible population till December 15, 2021.

    According to state government data, total 80.50 lakh (8050684) adult population to be vaccinated requiring total 1.61 Crore doses to be administered to entire adult populace of the hill state.

    The daily release of the state government revealed that 4475504 people were fully vaccinated while 7526853 were partially vaccinated till Wednesday evening.

    The state has total population of 4934219 in age-group of 18-44 years, 2795247 in age-group of 45+, 128002 healthcare workers and 193216 front line workers.

    The vaccination drive for Covid 19 started on January 16, 2021 in Uttarakhand.

    Last month, state government announced that Uttarakhand has vaccinated 100% of its eligible population with the first dose.

    Lauding the feat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the people of Uttarakhand on Twitter.

  • Bengal doctors write to Mandaviya for COVID booster dose

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: A doctors’ forum in West Bengal wrote to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday requesting quick roll out of a booster dose programme for front line warriors fighting COVID-19 expressing apprehension that the efficacy of the two jabs which are being administered now will “not go further over time”.

    The West Bengal Doctors Forum (WBDF) in its two-page letter to Mandaviya cited studies stating that administration of booster doses is an effective measure to prevent COVID infection by maintaining the vaccine efficacy.

    “We are all aware that efficacy of vaccines goes no further over time and due to that numerous healthcare workers may contract the disease in their dutyline. There are studies which say that the administration of booster dose will be an effective measure to prevent COVID infection by maintaining the vaccine efficacy,” Rajib Pandey and Punyabrata Gun of the Forum said in the communication.

    “At present, the number of active COVID cases in our country is low and under this circumstance on behalf of medical fraternity, we appeal to you and your good office to issue an early advisory to commence the booster dose vaccination programme for COVID-19 for all healthcare workers and frontline warriors as early as possible,” the letter read.

    Relentless services are being provided by innumerable doctors, nurses and other healthcare personnel as well as by frontline workers like the police, the missive said and pressed for prompt compensation to the kin of the members of the medical fraternity who have died fighting COVID-19 without any delay”.

    “We do not know how many warriors will lay their lives until an effective prevention and vaccination programme is proactively enforced by the administration. All frontline health workers fought from the front and many of them sacrificed their lives, though their families remain in utter dismay due to the impermissible losses. A prompt compensation for the kin of the deceased members of the medical fraternity without any delay is also the need of the hour,” it said.

    In West Bengal at least 8,06,30,430 doses have been administered till Friday, state health department statistics said.

  • Over 103.99 crore vaccine doses administered in India so far: Government

    The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late night, the ministry said.

  • Over 103 crore vaccine doses administered in India so far, says government

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 103 crore with over 51 lakh vaccine doses administered on Tuesday, the Union health ministry said.

    The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late in the night, it added.

    So far, 41,10,37,440 first doses and 13,11,13,078 second doses have been administered in the age group of 18-44 years since the start of phase three of the vaccination drive, according to health ministry data.

    Cumulatively 72,13,19,294 first doses and 31,35,17,300 second doses have been administered till now.

    “India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 103 crore (1,03,48,36,594) on today. More than 51 lakh (51,56,054) vaccine Doses have been administered till 7 pm today,” the ministry said.

    The vaccination exercise as a tool to protect the most vulnerable population groups in the country from COVID-19 continues to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level, it underlined.

  • Government looking to vaccinate country’s entire adult population by year-end: MoS Health

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: More than 99 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in India and the government has set a target of vaccinating the country’s entire adult population by the end of the year, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Bharati Pravin Pawar said on Wednesday.

    While virtually addressing the FICCI’s “Healthcare Excellence Awards” ceremony, Pawar informed that under the ‘Make in India’ initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi “India is one of the leading countries in the global medical devices market in the world.”

    Detailing the success amid challenges posed by COVID-19, the Union minister said, “More than 99 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the country and the government has set a target of vaccinating the country’s entire adult population by end of the year.”

    The minister thanked the dignitaries present at the event and expressed her appreciation for the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) for contributing immensely to the COVID-19 response in close coordination with the Empowered Groups, central and state governments.

    Speaking on the occasion, Pawar said a “great responsibility lies on us to achieve the Prime Minister’s dream of achieving affordable, accessible, safe and modern health care in India.” 

    She further said “the Government of India launched various nationwide programs for prevention, control and eradication of communicable and non-communicable diseases and improvement of maternal and child health”.

    The minister highlighted that in working towards the goal of achieving universal health coverage, the government launched the world’s largest public funded health care programme, the ‘Ayushman Bharat Mission’.

    She added that the scheme has been expanded to include the Digital Health Mission that aims to converge the various components of health care ecosystem on one platform for seamless integration and better health outcomes.

    Pawar informed that the government has also launched numerous financial support schemes over the past couple of years for creating the appropriate environment for growth as well as augmenting public-private infrastructure of hospitals and public-funded labs across the country.

    The National Medical Commission and Paramedical Council have been key achievements in the field of medical education, she said.

    The minister also informed that India’s health indicators have shown consistent improvement in the past decade.

    She noted that “relentless efforts of the Central government have resulted in launching of various nationwide programs for prevention, control and eradication of communicable and non-communicable diseases and improvement of maternal and child health.”

  • COVID-19: States told to expedite second dose coverage

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The Centre, in a review of Covid-19 vaccination on Tuesday, told the states that a large number of beneficiaries due for second doses are missing out on them. The states were told to urge them to complete the vaccine schedule.

    Nearly 99 crore doses of vaccines have been administered in the country, even though the pace of vaccination in October has come down dramatically after a surge since the last week of August.  In the review meeting, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan underlined that many states have adequate doses to inoculate those awaiting second doses.

    “The Centre is in a position to provide additional vaccine doses to the states so that they can complete full vaccinations,” said a statement by the health ministry. “They were also exhorted to improve the momentum and accelerate the drive.”

    So far, more than 102 crore vaccine doses have been provided to states through Central supplies and through direct state procurement. Till Tuesday morning, over 10.42 crore balance and unutilised vaccine doses were still available with the states. 

    Bhushan, meanwhile, also advised state authorities to identify and prioritise districts with low coverage of vaccination for focused action. This, he said, could be done through mobilisation efforts, addressing local challenges, setting up additional vaccination centres and improving access in rural and remote areas.  

    The Union health ministry, from time to time, has been sharing various SOPs over the last one year for international travel and officials said that they are in the process of reviewing the guidelines in consultation with all the stakeholders for updating the guidelines. 

    India’s R value below 1 since SeptMumbai: India’s R-value, which reflects how rapidly the coronavirus pandemic is spreading, has remained below 1 since September, suggesting that the infection rate is declining, according to a study.           The Reproduction number or R refers to how many people an infected person infects on an average. An R-value below 1 means the disease is spreading slowly. If R is greater than 1, the number of infected people is increasing in each round. The bigger the number than 1, the faster the rate of spreading. According to figures calculated by researchers of the Chennai-based Institute of Mathematical Sciences, the R-value of  top 10 states with most number of active cases was below 1 till October 18.  However, some of the cities continue to show a rising number of active cases. Kolkata and Bengaluru have an R-value of over 1,

  • Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur becomes India’s first fully Covid vaccinated district

    By Online Desk

    Setting an example, Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh became the first district in India to complete 100 per cent Covid vaccine coverage among all eligible citizens above 18 years of age.

    The district’s Deputy Commissioner, Abid Hussain Sadiq, said “Kinnaur is the first district across India to achieve this feat. We’ve achieved our target of vaccinating eligible population”.

    The district achieved its target of 60,305 full inoculations on October 13.

    According to the 2011 Census done by the Government of India, Kinnaur has a population of 84,121.

    Only a few states and union territories, namely Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Ladakh and Lakshadweep, have successfully completed the first dose vaccination of their entire adult population. 

    On Thursday, Jammu and Kashmir became the latest union territory to achieve100 per cent coverage of first jab of COVID vaccine for all above 18 years.

    As per an official release, the cumulative COVID-19 vaccination coverage in the country has crossed 97 crore doses.

    (Inputs from PTI, ANI)

  • ‘Vaccine hesitancy still a problem in remote areas’

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  Waiting for others to get the Covid-19 vaccine first and fear of any adverse effects may still be putting a significant chunk of the population in India away from the vaccines, the first ever analysis on vaccine hesitancy in the country has shown. Though no concrete data on the percentage of people choosing to forgo vaccines is available, it has been estimated that in remote and rural areas, up to 10% people may be sceptical.

    The analysis by the doctors attached with the Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai said that distrust in the safety of recently approved vaccines, fear of adverse effects, and rumours concerning infertility and death as a result of the Covid-19 vaccine, among other causes, are fuelling hesitancy.

    The authors noted that according to the Covid symptoms  survey conducted in India, the top five reasons provided for not getting vaccinated included: waiting for others to get it first (42%), other individuals need it more than me (35%), fear of any adverse effect 34%, vaccines will not work (21%) and disbelief in the vaccine.

    The researchers said that vaccine hesitancy is becoming a problem with very few possible solutions. Noting that the initiation of the CoWIN registration portal has significantly enhanced the vaccination campaign, they said that  based on the reported statistics, vaccine hesitancy is rampant in remote areas and regions.

    Pointing out that the lowering the cost of the vaccine for college students can be a beneficial way to reduce vaccine hesitancy, the researchers said that the government’s COVID-19 vaccination communication strategy has significant operational and structural flaws in its current form. “The second wave of infections disrupted capacity-building for communication management at the national, state, district, and sub-district levels,” said the paper.

    Citing an international survey, the analysis said that vaccine acceptance rates were the highest in low and middle-income countries such as Ecuador (97.0%), Malaysia (94.3%), Indonesia (93.3%) and China (91.3%). On the other hand, high-income countries such as Kuwait (23.6%), Jordan (28.4%), Italy (53.7%), Russia (54.9%), Poland (56.3%), USA (56.9%), and France (58.9%) had the lowest acceptance rates. Government authorities say the vaccine hesitancy in India may be coming down with most of the available vaccines “proving their safety profile”.

    Panel for removing export curbs  Barely weeks after the Centre curbed the export of Covid-19 rapid antigen testing kits, the Union health ministry, based on the recommendations of an empowered group, has suggested removing these restrictions. In a recent letter to the directorate general of foreign trade, the ministry said while RTPCR testing kits were added to the restricted category for export from June 2020, RAT kits too were restricted for export from August this year. An empowered group responsible for policy suggestions related to Covid-19 logistics , however, has decided to revoke the restrictions imposed on the kits and allow free export of these products, said  the letter.