92% Covid deaths this year among unvaccinated, shows govt data

Says rational to open schools, resume normal affairs while taking precautions

Unvaccinated individuals made up for 92 per cent of the total Covid deaths in January-February 2022, according to data shared by the Indian Council of Medical Research. 

Vaccination, the government said, has brought the country to a low coronavirus phase encouraging opening up of schools, economic activity. The government, however, stressed that the threat of Omicron is not over yet. 

“Vaccines have protected the nation in the surge. We are in a vaccine-enabled low coronavirus phase. It is rational to open schools, colleges, resorts, economic activities and normal affairs of society. But we should be intact and watchful of change in the behaviour of the virus,” said V K Paul, member (health), NITI Aayog and chairman of the National Covid Task Force. 

The study of vaccine effectiveness is based on the data of 944,709,598 individuals across various national databases such as CoWIN, ICMR testing, and India portal database.

Paul said the pandemic is not yet over and the country needs to be prepared. 

The health ministry said the Covid cases and deaths were still rising in some countries, including Hong Kong, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, among others. In India, three states — Kerala, Maharashtra, and Mizoram — contribute to half of the total active Covid cases. 

While globally the Omicron surge led to a peak almost 4.68 times the previous reported peak, the health ministry said not only the reported peak in India was much lower, but the consistent efforts also led to a steep decline in cases. 

The ministry data shows India reported a sharper decline in deaths of 76.6 per cent as compared to the world — 22.8 per cent in the past four weeks starting February 2. 

“India experienced a considerably lower number of deaths due to vaccine development, its rapid deployment, and acceptance and wide scale coverage,” said Balram Bhargava, director general, ICMR. 

The first dose of Covid-19 vaccine is 98.9 per cent effective in preventing mortality, while both doses are 99.3 per cent effective, he said.

While acknowledging the benefits of vaccination in keeping the fatalities low, the government said the jury is still out on whether the vaccines will be given on an annual basis to the people. No decision has been taken on mixing and matching for booster doses of vaccines yet as well. 

“Decisions on vaccination are to be seen in the light of our own vaccine interspersed with natural infection in surges. Studies are underway and being reviewed in the NTAGI system,” Paul said. 

So far, 74 per cent of adolescents between 15-18 years of age have been administered their first doses of Covid-19 vaccine and 39 per cent given both doses. 

The government is also keeping a watch on mathematical models, including the recent IIT Kanpur study that predicts a fourth wave in July. “We value the input. The scientific and mathematical underpinnings will be examined… Decisions being based on just one projection would be unsafe for the society,” Paul said.