61 per cent of eligible population fully vaccinated against COVID-19

New Delhi [India], December 24 : Amid the surge in the cases of Omicron variant of COVID-19 in India, the Health Ministry on Friday said that 61 per cent of the adult population is fully vaccinated, while 89 per cent has received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose.
Addressing a joint press conference on the pandemic, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said, "89 per cent of the eligible population in India have received at least the first vaccine dose. 61 per cent of the eligible population has received the second dose."
He further said that the cause of concern is 11 states where vaccination is less than the national average.
The 11 states are Odisha, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Puducherry, Uttar Pradesh, Meghalaya, Jharkhand, Manipur, Punjab, and Nagaland.
The national average of the first dose is 88.7 per cent, while of the second dose is 60.7 per cent.
Talking about the Omicron surge in India, the Ministry informed that there are 17 states and UTs in India that have reported 358 Omicron cases till now, of which 114 have recovered.
The Union Health Ministry said that of the 183 Omicron positive cases reported in India, three patients have already taken three doses and 121 had a foreign travel history.
"During analysis of 183 Omicron positive cases 121 had a foreign history, 44 cases have no travel history but most of them are those who came in contact with those who have travel history. 87 people were fully vaccinated, three people were those who received three doses and amongst them, two are from Delhi and one is from Maharashtra."
Bhushan further said that the vaccination status of some patients is under tracking and some were unvaccinated.
"Seven people unvaccinated, two people amongst them partially vaccinated, 16 Omicron positive patients were ineligible and 73 are those whose vaccination status is unknown we are tracking that," he added.
On a policy for booster dose, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said that deliberations are underway and it is reviewing scientific data.
"Deliberations are underway. We are reviewing scientific data to formulate a policy," said Dr Balram Bhargava, Director General of ICMR on vaccine booster shots.
He said that the world is witnessing the fourth surge in COVID-19 cases and the overall positivity rate stands at 6.1 per cent.
"The world is witnessing the fourth surge and the overall positivity is 6.1 per cent. Therefore, we have to be on guard and we cannot afford to slacken," Bhushan said.
"While Europe, North America and Africa are seeing an increase in COVID19 cases week-on-week, Asia is still witnessing a decline in cases week-on-week," he added.
He urged people to be on guards and follow all the guidelines issued by the government to contain the spread of the virus.