The Health Ministry has stated that 61% of the adult population in India is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while 89% of the population has received the first vaccine dose.

At a press conference on COVID-19, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that 11 states are currently a cause for concern where vaccination coverage is below the national average. The states and UTs include Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Meghalaya, Manipur, and Nagaland.

Talking about a policy for booster dose, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said that it is being considered and the scientific data is being reviewed to formulate a policy. ICMR director general, Dr Balram Bhargava, said that the world is experiencing the fourth surge in COVID-19 cases and the overall positivity is 6.1%.

The Union Health Secretary added that people should not lower their guard and urged everyone to follow the guidelines to curb the spread of the virus… (Economic Times – ANI, December 25, 2021)