Karnataka ahead of other southern states in Covid vaccination, more than 66% of adults fully jabbed

Karnataka is well ahead of its neighbouring states in fully vaccinating its adult population against Covid-19 with the IT state administering two doses of Covid-19 vaccine to more than 66% of its 4.72 crore adults.

In comparison, Kerala jabbed 63% of its adults and Telangana 60%. But in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, less than 50% is fully vaccinated eleven months after the Covid-19 vaccination campaign. Goa on the west coast, however, gave two shots to 66% of its adult population.

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Amidst the Omicron scare, 25 states and Union Territories have managed to vaccinate more than 50% of their adult population, whereas 11 states and UTs have covered 75% of their adults with two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

"We have to be mindful that currently available vaccines are disease-modifying and not preventive. What this means is that everyone irrespective of vaccination status needs to follow proven public health interventions such as the use of face masks and avoiding mass gatherings (that can turn into super spreader events)," Oommen John, a senior public health researcher at the George Institute for Global Health, Delhi told DH.

India on Sunday reached the milestone of fully vaccinating half of its adult population, whereas 85% of the population is covered with a single dose. “It is a moment of great pride as over 50% of the eligible population are now fully vaccinated. We will win the battle against Covid-19 together,” tweeted Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

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“Public health messaging is very critical. If there is an over-emphasis on the extent of vaccination coverage, there is a risk of communicating a false sense of security and could lead to citizens not exercising caution,” John cautioned.

Considering that the year-end is just about three weeks away, it seems almost impossible for India to vaccinate its 94.47 crore, adults, by 2021 even though it is possible to cover the entire adult population with a single dose as nearly 85% has already received one.

But to achieve a cent per cent coverage with a single dose, the government has to step up the pace of vaccination, which was not the case in the last two months.

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According to the Union Health Ministry data, India’s daily vaccination rate reached a peak of 78.69 lakhs per day in September, but fell to 55.77 lakhs in October and 59.32 lakhs in November. After a long gap of more than a month, India administered more than one crore vaccination on Saturday.

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