More than 100 million Indians have not shown up to take a second Covid-19 vaccine dose, revealed official government data, even as India celebrated the milestone of administering a billion doses more than a week ago.
Experts said this “vaccine truancy” could lead to yet another outbreak of the virus in the country if it is not taken seriously.
Satyajit Rath, a scientist at the National Institute of Immunology, however, told The Guardian newspaper that the figure of more than 100 million people who never got second doses will not be alarming if they eventually get their jabs.
But he added that “if a larger percentage of people are coming in late, then it is concerning.”
But he added that “if a larger percentage of people are coming in late, then it is concerning.”
The Indian government has claimed it will inoculate the country’s entire eligible population by the end of this year — a landmark which health experts say will not likely happen, thanks to vaccine shortages during the earlier phases of the country’s vaccination drive.
To tackle “vaccine truancy”, the country’s health minister Mansukh Mandaviya has urged states to address the issue. He said that from the next month onward, officials will be designated to make door-to-door visits to find those who skipped their second vaccine jabs.
Bhavna Dewan, a health worker in Uttarakhand in north India, was quoted by the Guardian as saying: “We have seen this complacency with tuberculosis patients. They start taking the drugs and after a few weeks, they feel better so they stop even though they have to take them for six months.”
