Highlights
- India has administered 481 million vaccine doses so far
- Women have received about 47% of vaccine doses administered in India
- The gender inequity in vaccination has reduced by 4 per cent
New Delhi: The gender disparity in India’s COVID-19 immunisation drive has narrowed, government data showed on Wednesday (August 4), as pregnant women are now allowed to get their shots and authorities try to dispel rumours about fertility. Women have received about 47 per cent of the 481 million vaccine doses administered in India, nearly in line with the gender ratio in the country, the data showed. Men have now received 13 per cent more doses than women, compared with about 17 per cent in early June.
Also Read: Expert Blog: COVID Hit Pregnant And Breastfeeding Mothers And Vaccination For Them
India officially started vaccinating pregnant women only in July and has been running ground-level campaigns to encourage them to get their shots, according to the government. It has also sent teams of grassroots health workers to towns and villages to dispel fears that vaccines affect fertility.
A communication strategy is in place which is being implemented across “sustain vaccine confidence”, the health ministry told parliament on Tuesday (August 3), highlighting the efforts to reach out to more women.
India has administered the most number of coronavirus vaccine doses in the world after China, according to the government’s Co-Win website, but lags many countries in terms of per capita inoculations. The country wants to immunize all its adult population of 944 million by December and has given at least one dose to nearly 40 per cent of them.
It has reported about 31.8 million coronavirus infections, the most of any country except the United States, with more than 425,000 deaths.
Also Read: Understanding The Pace Of India’s COVID-19 Vaccination Drive
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.
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