While the total number of Covid-19 jabs has slowly crossed 32.9 million doses since vaccinations began on January16, India has shipped nearly double the amount – 58 million doses - to 70 countries. The overall vaccination figure was put out by the health ministry, while MoS (health and family welfare) Ashwini Kumar Choubey gave a written reply in the Rajya Sabha about the export of Covid-19 vaccines.
The goal of vaccinating India’s millions could fall sharply behind at the existing rate of vaccination, experts said. The highest number of vaccinations in a single day - over three million shots - was recorded on March 15. There is at present a surge in cases, with certain states caught in what may be a second wave of the pandemic. This has led to demands for expediting vaccinations across the country by opening up inoculations to those outside the priority population as well as giving more doses to states that are the worst affected.
Several health experts, doctors, as well as Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra and Biocon executive chairperson Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, have urged the government to speed up vaccination of the general population to prevent a further surge in infections. “Vaccinations need to be increased rapidly … The government should consider much greater private sector involvement and outreach vaccinations to get vaccines to the vulnerable… No doses should be wasted; so, while we continue to vaccinate the priority population, all excess vaccines should be utilised on non-priority populations. Where cases are increasing or are predicted to increase, we should consider all-age vaccination in defined high-risk areas,” Gagandeep Kang, a professor at Christian Medical College, Vellore, said.
At the existing rate of vaccination, it seems nearly 2% of the population would have been vaccinated. “We need to ramp up vaccinations to at least 3.8 million doses every single day of the week for the government to reach its target of achieving 600 million doses by August. If supply is comfortable in certain states and the vulnerable population has been given the jab, then it can be opened up to other age groups,” health economist Rijo M John said. At present, vaccinations at government facilities in most states are available only four days a week.
