The government is providing free vaccines to health care and frontline workers.
Health care and frontline workers constitute nearly 3 crore of the total population of the country.
Meanwhile, Paul also explained why the government prioritised people above 50 years of age to receive COVID-19 vaccines. He shared that of the total fatalities caused by COVID-19, 78% were those aged above 50 years. Once you reach the age of 50, you are vulnerable to develop 70% of the underlying medical conditions (diabetes, hypertension etc) and become more vulnerable to any kind of viral infection, Paul said.
Pointers on COVID-19 cases
Active COVID-19 cases in the country have dropped to 1.41 lakh comprising just 1.30% of the total infections.
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South Africa variant of coronavirus not found in India till now: Govt
There is no evidence of the presence of the South Africa variant of the coronavirus in India as of Monday but the government is keeping a watch on it, said NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul on Tuesday. According to scientists, this variant of the virus spreads faster, he said.
About the effectiveness of the Covishield vaccine on the South Africa strain, Paul said it is hinted through a study, which has its limitations, that
Covishield gives minimal protection against mild infection but it still continues to be effective against severe disease and in reducing mortality.
New Delhi [India], February 9 (ANI): Ninety-seven per cent of the people who gave their feedback after receiving COVID-19 vaccine dose are satisfied with the overall experience, Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
Read more about No Covid-19-related death in 15 states, union territories in last 24 hours on Business Standard. There has been a 55 per cent fall in the average daily deaths in the past five weeks - from over 200 in the second week of January to less than 100 in early February