Concerns rise as 46% elderly across country yet to get 1st dose of Covid vaccine
NEW DELHI: The slow pace of Covid-19 vaccines coverage among Indians over the age of 60 years is becoming a cause for concern, experts warned as more than 46% of the population group most vulnerable to the disease are yet to receive even a single shot.
Till 7pm on Friday, a total of over 460 million doses had been administered across the country, with over 5.1 million jabs being given on Friday alone, to over 356 million people. Of these, 256 million people have been partially vaccinated, while more than 100 million people have received both shots of the vaccine. However, it is coverage among the elderly that is a cause for concern. Till Friday morning (latest data released by the health ministry), just over 74.6 million people above the age of 60 had received a Covid-19 shot (39 million partially vaccinated, 35.6 million fully). This translates to around 54% of the 138 million people in this age group in the country, as per the population projection for 2021 based on the 2011 Census.
Experts say those over 60 are at a higher risk of developing severe disease due to Covid-19 and also death. When the first wave of the pandemic had struck, 80% of the deaths happened among those over the age of 50 years, NITI Aayog member (health) Dr VK Paul had said while explaining the process of identification of the vulnerable groups for the second phase of the vaccination drive.
“With the limited number of vaccines available, it is really important to prioritise who gets it. First, there is a need to cover the gap between the number of people who have received the first dose and those who have received the second. This is because the efficacy of just one dose of Covishield is only about 30% against the Delta variant,” said Dr Suneela Garg, professor in the department of community medicine at Maulana Azad Medical College in Delhi.
Garg added that there is the need to prioritise the vaccine for pregnant women who could develop complications if they get the disease and also those who travel by public transport or interact with a lot of people in a day.