Dr Giridhara R Babu, professor and head, Lifecourse Epidemiology, Public Health Foundation of India, also pointed out three major factors that could be leading to a surge in cases.
Rahul Gandhi. Pic/PTI
Healthcare experts have said that the pace of vaccination in the country is not that fast, even as the Centre boasted about surpassing the US in becoming the fastest COVID-19 vaccinating country in the world. The Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday that India is administering an average daily rate of 30,93,861 doses.
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Dr Giridhara R Babu, professor and head, Lifecourse Epidemiology, Public Health Foundation of India, also pointed out three major factors that could be leading to a surge in cases.
New variants behind surge
“Although the government has not acknowledged it as there is no clear evidence, there is definitely a role of new variants of concern which are more infectious and probably some of them are immune escape variants also and they are spreading faster than the earlier versions,” Babu told PTI. Immune escape variants are not detected by the immune system. Some mutations confer this property to the virus and the antibodies are unable to detect it.
Vaccination not satisfactory
“Most importantly, the pace of vaccination is not as fast as one would expect India to be in. The pace at which the vulnerable have to be covered is not satisfactory,” Babu said.
Epidemiologist Dr N K Arora said the upsurge is because of “4-5 factors acting simultaneously”. Some of them are fading fear of the virus and an increase in social gatherings. He also noted that wearing masks has drastically reduced. Arora added that the number of susceptible people in the community is still very high which is leading to this upsurge.
Vaccine camps at workplaces from April 11
The government will allow COVID-19 vaccination at public and private workplaces having about 100 eligible beneficiaries from April 11. Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan in a letter to the chief secretaries said a substantial proportion of population aged 45 years and above is in the organised sector of the economy and is involved in formal occupation in offices (government and private) or manufacturing and services.
“in order to increase the access of vaccine to these populations, COVID-19 vaccination sessions may be organised at work places (both public & private) which are having about 100 eligible and willing beneficiaries by tagging these work places with an existing COVID vaccination centre,” the letter read. He said the states can initiate due consultations with private/public sector employers and management to prepare for launch of work place vaccination. “Such work place vaccination centres may be launched across states/Union territories from April 11, 2021,” he said.
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