The Health Ministry of India on Thursday released the data of the Covid vaccination drive that showed the effectiveness of the Covid vaccine in preventing the mortality rate.
Reaffirming the belief that the Covid vaccine prevents deaths, the data suggests that the first dose of the Covid vaccine is 96.6 percent effective in preventing death by covid. Furthermore, the second dose enhances the number to an impressive 97.5 percent.
DG ICMR Dr. Balram Bhargava said that the health ministry is working on real-time vaccine tracker data and will release the program on the CoWIN platform and the national Covid-19 testing database of the ICMR.
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DR VK Paul, Head of India’s Covid-19 task force explained the importance of the Covid vaccine as a significant tool in the fight against the pandemic.
“This dynamic data shows that vaccines being used in the national vaccination drive, even after the first dose, offers protection up to 95 percent against serious disease and death. It is clear that among the tools we are using in our fight against the pandemic, it is the vaccine tool, which is the most significant shield that is protecting us from death. It is also clear that if you give two doses there is near total protection against serious disease and death. This will change the scenario very dramatically,” Dr. V K Paul said.
“We have vaccines in abundance. Those who are still left out, need to come forward and get their first dose. We have to achieve 100 percent first dose coverage even more rapidly, which will ensure that protection against deaths,” he added.
Paul further discussed the possibility of vaccine rollout for children saying that the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) is working on it. He pointed at the international community and said that only a few countries have rolled out vaccines for children. Even WHO has not issued any recommendation regarding the matter.
Paul, however, highlighted that based on scientific evidence, vaccination for children cannot be a pre-requisite for re-opening school.
