45+ most vulnerable, account for 88% of Covid deaths: Govt

45+ most vulnerable, account for 88% of Covid deaths: Govt

‘Adequate Vax Supply To Cover Expanded Base’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:25.03.2021 

The government said the expansion of the vaccination drive to cover all above 45 years is intended to prioritise the group that is most vulnerable to the disease, accounting for 88% of the over 1.6 lakh Covid-19 deaths in India.

The case fatality rate (CFR) in this group is 2.85%, against a national average of 1.37%, said the Centre even as it called upon states to intensify efforts to increase vaccinations and urged private hospitals to increase participation.

On Tuesday, the Centre had announced that vaccination will be extended to cover everyone aged above 45 from April 1, irrespective of comorbidities. “It is because of the age-based criteria that the vaccination programme has been steady, seamless and practically glitch-free. We are, therefore, building on that approach. This is a scientific approach and has also stood the test of time,” Niti Aayog’s member (health) Dr V K Paul said, pointing to similar strategies in the US and UK.

The Centre maintained there is adequate supply of vaccines to cater to the expanded group. However, it said there is great scope to improve private sector participation. On Wednesday, around 34,481 vaccination sessions were conducted by government hospitals, whereas only 5,425 were held in private facilities.

While Delhi and Telangana have close to 50% of doses administered by the private sector, in states and Union territories like Puducherry, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur and Maharashtra less than 30% doses were given in private facilities.

DA COVID CODE: An artist paints a mural of Monalisa with a face mask to raise awareness about the pandemic in Mumbai on Wednesday