Women shop at a market ahead of 'Karva Chauth' festival in Jammu. (PTI photo)Coronavirus Cases in India Today, Coronavirus Statistics India Live Updates: Even as the country celebrates the milestone of administering over 100 crore doses of Coronavirus vaccine, the challenges before the country’s Covid-19 vaccination drive have not ended. Apart from the fact that the majority of the adult population has not been fully vaccinated, health experts have highlighted a considerable drop in the momentum of the vaccination drive due to complacency among people amidst the current decline of Covid-19 cases.
According to a Reuters report, millions of adult Indians are unlikely to be fully vaccinated by the end of 2021 despite adequate supplies of Covid-19 vaccine in the country. The report noted that a considerably larger gap between the two doses of Covishield vaccine of up to 16 weeks will ensure that even those adults who are vaccinated now will get their second dose appointment only in the next year.
The same report highlighted that despite the government targeting 100% full vaccination of the adult population by 2021 end, there remains a whopping 230 million people who have not even got a single dose of the vaccine till now. Rajib Dasgupta who is the head of the Centre of Social Medicine & Community Health at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi told Reuters that the government’s target is likely to be missed by several weeks.
Dasgupta further said that the government should actively consider reducing the gap between two doses of Coronavirus vaccines so as to quickly double vaccinate all adult population of the country. According to a few sources who wanted to remain anonymous, the government is mulling a reduction in the gap between the two doses and has already directed the state governments to adopt special measures to vaccinate people who have delayed taking their second shot of vaccine.
Here are the latest coronavirus-related updates from India and around the globe:
Highlights
Federal health regulators said late Friday that kid-size doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine appear highly effective at preventing symptomatic infections in elementary school children and caused no unexpected safety issues, as the US weighs beginning vaccinations in youngsters. The Food and Drug Administration posted its analysis of Pfizer's data ahead of a public meeting next week to debate whether the shots are ready for the nation's roughly 28 million children ages 5 to 11. The agency will ask a panel of outside vaccine experts to vote on that question. In their analysis, FDA scientists concluded that in almost every scenario the vaccine's benefit for preventing hospitalizations and death from COVID-19 would outweigh any serious potential side effects in children. But agency reviewers stopped short of calling for Pfizer's shot to be authorized. The agency will put that question to its panel of independent advisers next Tuesday and weigh their advice before making its own decision. - AP
The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to extend the arrangement of five-day week in its offices across the state till March end next year in view of the coronavirus pandemic, an official said. The state government's general administration department issued an order to this effect on Friday, he said. "The arrangement of five-day week (from Monday to Friday) in government offices across the state has been extended till March 31, 2022 for protection and to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic," the order said. Earlier, the state government had ordered the five-day week in its offices till October 31. The arrangement of five-day week was implemented in the state government offices from July 22 this year when the offices reopened after a lockdown during the second wave of pandemic. - PTI
India is a "vaccine powerhouse" and America's work with the country in vaccine manufacturing is saving people's lives, the head of the US International Development Finance Corporation, David Marchick, has said ahead of his India visit. The United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is America's development bank, which invests in developing countries around the world. Leading a high-powered delegation, DFC Chief Operating Officer (COO) Marchick would travel to India from October 24 to 26. - PTI
India saw a single-day rise of 16,326 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 3,41,59,562, while the active cases have declined to 1,73,728, the lowest in 233 days, according to the Union health ministry's data updated on Saturday. The death toll has climbed to 4,53,708 with 666 daily fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am. Kerala has reconciled 292 fatalities on Saturday from the previous period. Hence, the death toll is higher, officials said, adding that 99 deaths have been reported from Kerala in the last 24 hours. The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 30,000 for 29 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 118 consecutive days now. The active cases have decreased to 1,73,728 comprising 0.51 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.16 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the health ministry said. PTI