Centre explains why COVID-19 vaccination drive is not being opened for all age groups
New
Delhi,
Apr
6:
Amid
demands
from
several
quarters
that
the
age
limit
for
COVID-19
vaccination
be
relaxed
in
view
of
spike
in
cases,
the
Centre
on
Tuesday
said
the
aim
is
to
protect
those
who
are
most
vulnerable,
and
not
to
"administer
the
vaccine
to
those
who
want
it
but
to
those
who
need
it".
During
a
weekly
press
conference,
Union
Health
Secretary
Rajesh
Bhushan
said
that
many
people
are
asking
why
isn''t
the
government
opening
up
vaccination
for
all
those
above
18
years.
Bhushan said that even Western countries have conducted the vaccination drive in phases.
"The basic aim is to reduce death through vaccination. The other aim is to protect your healthcare system. If healthcare workers, doctors, nurses, paramedics and others fall sick, who will work in hospitals? So the aim, for any country, is to protect those who are the most vulnerable. The aim is never to administer the vaccine to those who want it but to those who need it," Bhushan said.
NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul said the narrative has to be seen in a scientific way.
So far, nobody doing vaccine research has shown that if given on this scale, it leads to herd immunity, he said, adding that it is not yet scientifically proven.
"What we know so far is that all vaccines that are being used, including the two being used in ,India reduce mortality, severity of the disease, protect lives and keeping that in mind priority groups have been decided," Dr Paul said.
He said that priority groups have been decided who are vulnerable to mortality.
"Because history will only remember how many deaths have taken place. Globally, vaccine is finite," Dr Paul underlined.
The Indian Medical Association wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggesting that vaccination be allowed for all people above the age of 18 years.
The doctors'' body said that "we request following suggestions in the COVID-19 vaccination drive -- all citizens above 18 years of age shall be permitted to receive COVID vaccination and walk-in COVID vaccination should be available for all, free of cost at their nearest possible place".
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Maharashtra counterpart Uddhav Thackeray on Monday also requested Modi to relax the age limit for the vaccination.
Kejriwal urged him to relax the norms for opening vaccination centres and lift the age criterion for getting inoculated, reiterating that the Delhi government can vaccinate all the residents of the city within three months if the necessary permissions are granted by the Centre.
Thackeray requested the prime minister to allow people above 25 years of age to receive COVID-19 shots, which he said will protect the young people from the rapid spread of coronavirus at a time when they are stepping outside their homes to earn a livelihood.
In a letter to the PM, Thackeray also demanded that Maharashtra be provided 1.5 crore additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines, which will enable the state government to complete within three weeks the vaccination of the beneficiaries above 45 years of age in six districts, including Mumbai, reporting a large number of cases.