According to the data, around 92% of Indians currently eligible for a third, or booster dose, of the Covid-19 vaccine have not yet taken these shots. Data shows the significance of Wednesday’s announcement of a national 75-day cost-free vaccination window.
The data shared by the Union health ministry shows in total, nearly 594 million adults in India are now late for their so-called precaution shots.
The steps that come exactly 95 days after the government opened booster doses of vaccines against Covid-19 for all adults, is the second major policy announcement in recent days to push boosters among the masses. On July 6, the government announced a reduction in the gap between the second dose and booster dose from nine to six months.
An analysis from the data appears to suggest that it may work. For those of age 60 years and above and frontline/health care workers, the booster shot is administered for free at government centres all over the country. Among these groups, a smaller share (compared to the 18-60 age group) has not shown up for boosters, data shows.
For the age group, 18-45 the booster late data is 98.8% of 360 million eligible people. This figure is similarly high in the 45-60 years age group.
To keep a count on the proportion of those eligible but missing their boosters is bigger now than what it was before July 6. The government reduced the required gap for taking a booster from nine to six months, making more than 350 million more people eligible for a booster shot overnight.
