Expanding the vaccination net

The Centre’s decision to expand the coverage is welcome. But there’s more work to be done

The Union health ministry’s decision to expand India’s Covid-19 vaccine programme to include those aged 12 and above, and do away with the loose restriction for booster doses (for those over 60 years) is welcome. It is an important step towards insulating India from the impact of future waves of the coronavirus disease, and protecting people from newer variants of the Sars-CoV-2 virus that are bound to emerge. And it needs to be followed up with an even more important step — expanding the eligibility for boosters progressively, first to those aged 45 and above; and then 18 years and above. The scientific evidence in favour of vaccinating the population below 12 years is mixed.

The decision comes at a time when life (and work) are almost back to where they were before the pandemic in India. The seven-day average of daily cases in the country stands at 3,757 currently, a 23-month low, and 80% of the population over the age of 15 (1.01 billion) has been fully vaccinated with another 16% having received one dose. Around 2% of this population has also received boosters — mostly people with comorbidities, although only selfdeclaration to this effect is required. This condition has also been done away with now. The decision will widen the eligibility for vaccines to almost 85% of India’s population, with only children under the age of 12 remaining unvaccinated. To be sure, because of the way India counts ages for the purposes of vaccination, anyone who has completed 11 (and entered their 12th year) will also be eligible for vaccination).

This newspaper has repeatedly argued for the expansion of India’s vaccine programme to those aged 12 and above, and for the need to provide a booster dose to the entire adult population. With supplies not being a constraint any more, and an effective vaccine delivery network already in place, India can provide a booster dose to its entire adult population by the middle of this year, if it so wishes. The science on the benefits of a booster dose is clear, although there is no India-specific data that is available. There’s more work to be done: The health ministry should also ensure India’s genome surveillance network continues to operate so as to identify potential variants of concern early. And the health and home ministries should standardise the response to flare-ups to ensure minimal disruption of key activities, including business and education.