Most COVID-19 Deaths in 2022 are Unvaccinated People: Govt

Around 92 percent deaths related to COVID-19 in India in 2022 are of those who were unvaccinated against the infection, said government sources.

Addressing a press conference, Joint Secretary in the Union Health Ministry Lav Agarwal said that the COVID-19 pandemic situation has improved in the country and vaccination has played a very important role in this.

The Joint Secretary said that a sharp reduction of cases has been observed in the country adding that around 11,000 COVID-19 cases are reported on an average on weekly basis. Only 0.7 percent of global cases are reported in the country, he said.

He further stated that there is a positive situation in the number of deaths in India as compared to other countries.

India reported 615 deaths on an average from February 2-8.

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144 deaths were reported due to COVID-19 last week. So, there has been a decline of 76.6 percent from the peak of what India has seen, Lav stated.

“The average weekly COVID-19 positivity rate in India is 0.99 percent. The number of active cases in the country is around 77,000. In the last 24 hours, only 6,561 cases are reported in India,” he said.

He further said that Kerala, Maharashtra and Mizoram accounts for half of the active COVID-19 cases of the country.

Speaking on the occasion, ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava said that a decline in COVID-19 case fatality rate has been noted with an increase in administration of vaccine doses. “Vaccine effectiveness in mortality prevention has been measured. The first dose is responsible for 98.9 percent vaccine effectiveness and if both doses are given then it is 99.3 percent effective,” Bhargava said.

In India, 97 percent of the eligible population has been administered with the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya informed on Thursday.

“Rapidly marching towards achieving 100 percent first dose mark. With 'Sabka Prayas', the world's largest vaccination drive going from strength to strength!” Mandavoya tweeted.

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