By Krishna N. Das and Neha Arora
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – The Indian health minister said on Thursday that the COVID-19 epidemic was contained, as a fifth of the districts completed a week without any new cases, with the most active patients in the land in two states.
However, a vaccination campaign considered by the government to be the largest in the world is progressing unevenly, with a survey showing that more than half of Indians are reluctant to be vaccinated immediately.
The country of 1.35 billion recorded the highest number of coronavirus cases in the world after the United States, and with the probable actual infection rate even higher, one study suggests that the sacks of India achieved herd immunity through natural infection.
As the infection rate peaked in mid-September at nearly 100,000 daily cases, it declined significantly. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said 11,666 cases had been reported in the past 24 hours.
“India has successfully contained the pandemic,” he said in a statement. “India has flattened its COVID-19 graph.”
According to Vardhan, 146 of India’s 718 districts had no new businesses for a week.
India has about 173,000 active COVID-19 patients, more than two-thirds of them in Kerala and Maharashtra. 10.7 million infections and 153,847 deaths were reported – one of the world’s lowest mortality rates, which is partly attributed to the relatively young population.
As infections decline, the government will lift its sidewalks from next month, reopen public swimming pools and put more than 50% of its capacity in cinemas and theaters.
IMMUNE REEDS, OR VACCINE-SHY?
India launched its vaccination program on January 16, with health workers at the forefront and a target of reaching 300 million people by July-August.
It uses one vaccine developed at home by Bharat Biotech and the Indian Medical Research Council, and another licensed by AstraZeneca.
There is no shortage of shots, unlike in many other countries.
But 60% of Indians are reluctant to take the vaccine immediately, according to a study by the local citizens’ platform, LocalCircles, released on Wednesday – a high percentage but lower than a similar poll among 17,000 people who was found a few weeks ago.
The government acknowledged that hesitation is being shared by some doctors and nurses, who have expressed doubts about the Bharat Biotech vaccine, which has approved emergency use without data on late-stage efficacy. The government says it is safe and effective.
Some states, including the national capital area of Delhi and Maharashtra, have only been able to vaccinate a fifth or less of their health workers, the health ministry said in a submission.
Three doctors told Reuters anonymously that they already have antibodies due to natural infection, and that they do not want to vaccinate themselves.
Antibody tests conducted by diagnostic firm Thyrocare Technologies on more than 700,000 people showed that 55% of India’s population may have already been infected, its chief told Reuters.
The World Health Organization says https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/media-resources/science-in-5/episode-1 at least 60% to 70% of the population must have immunity to break the transmission chain.
An Indian top vaccine official told Reuters even a smaller percentage of immunity could slow the spread of the virus.
“Most of our very populous districts and cities have now had the pandemic … and may have some degree you would call herd immunity,” said Vinod Kumar Paul, who heads a committee on vaccine strategy, said this month.
(Reported by Krishna N. Das, edited by Toby Chopra and John Stonestreet)
Originally published