Covid-19 Vaccine Matters: Jab hesitancy at lowest level but Delta breakthrough surge dims cheer

With India closing in on vaccinating all adults with at least first dose of the vaccine in the next couple of days, the vaccine hesitancy is at the lowest level in the country so far. Only 7 per cent Indian adults are currently hesitant to getting inoculated against Covid-19, according to a new survey. While the findings are likely to further boost the country's vaccination drive, a surge in breakthrough cases with the Delta variant of the virus is a cause of concern.

A cross-sectional study among Covid-19 cases found an increase in incidences of post-vaccination infections with Delta variant as compared to a non-Variant of Concern lineage. The study also noted an increased number of infections among the younger age group of 0-19 years and women.

Seventy-one per cent of the country's adult population have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine and 27 per cent have got both doses, the government said on Thursday as the cumulative vaccine shots administered in the country crossed 93 crore.

With the onset of festive season across the country, a senior Health Ministry official has warned people about the threat of Covid-19 resurgence. "Please watch your October, November, December," the official said, adding that "we cannot take the current stable situation for granted".

The daily rise in coronavirus infections has been below 30,000 for 14 straight days. India's total tally of cases rose to 3,39,15,569 on Friday with 21,257 people testing positive for the coronavirus infection in a day, while the number of active cases declined to 2,40,221, the lowest in 205 days, according to data updated by the Union Health Ministry on Friday.

Amid fears of a surge in Covid-19 cases from the third week of October, a top government official on Thursday assured that the Central government is prepared to handle a daily caseload of 4.5-5 lakh Covid-19 patients in the third wave if it ever comes. The official added that more than two million beds are available to deal with any such emergency.

After over a week of tussle between the Indian and the British government over recognition of vaccination certificate, the Boris Johnson-led government on Thursday finally relented and agreed to exempt travellers inoculated with two doses of the Covishield Covid-19 vaccine in India from mandatory quarantine on arrival to the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, the government has permitted Serum Institute of India (SII) to export 10 lakh Covishield doses each to Nepal, Myanmar and Bangladesh, while Bharat Biotech will provide Iran with 10 lakh doses of Covaxin under the 'Vaccine Maitri' programme in October.

As many parents and pediatricians are clamoring for protection for children younger than 12, Pfizer has asked the US government to allow use of its Covid-19 vaccine in children ages 5 to 11 -- and if regulators agree, shots could begin within a matter of weeks.

On the economy front, former Reserve Bank Governor C Rangarajan has said that India becoming a $5-trillion economy by 2025 is impossible under the current circumstance and the country needs to grow at 9 per cent per annum for the next five years in order to achieve the target. The World Bank on Thursday projected that India's economy would grow by 8.3 per cent this fiscal year, making it the second-fastest-growing major economy.

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