One of India’s top government epidemiologists and infectious disease experts recently proclaimed that there is absolutely no scientific evidence in India driving the need for a COVID-19 booster campaign. Working as the head of the Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases division for the apex Indian research institute Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Dr. Samiran Panda posited recently that the evidence in India just isn’t there justifying the need for a booster program, and that rather the health authorities should focus on boosting the vaccination rates. Currently 322 deaths are reported daily due to COVID-19. To put things in perspective, over 666 children die in India every day due to preventable diseases of Pneumonia and Diarrhea—more than double the total COVID-19-related deaths.

COVID-19 in India

India, the world’s second most populous nation and fifth largest economy as measured by gross domestic product (GDP)—recently passing the UK—has experienced one horrific surge of COVID-19 infections driven by the delta variant which originated on the Indian subcontinent.

But conditions have stabilized since that spike during April and May of this year. Cases are down to 10,195 per day (based on 7-day average) which for a nation of 1.4 billion is a notable achievement. Deaths are presently at 322 per day based on the last 7-day average.

To put matters in perspective Diarrhea and pneumonia, both preventable diseases kill one child every two minutes India or 261,000 children before their fifth birthday as was reported in 2016.

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By 2020 233,240 children died from either diarrhea or pneumonia according to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Pubic Health and the International Vaccine Access Center. That comes to over 666 deaths per day.

As reported in India media, while purported experts push the vaccine booster program in India, especially for front line and healthcare workers, the government seems more focused now on full vaccination in what is known as the “Har Ghar Dastak” program. Part of a government effort “to leave no one behind” the focus is on vaccination of people that haven’t even received one jab.

Currently nearly 30% of the nation has received both doses while about 55.6% have received one jab—leaving 44.4% of the nation totaling over 600 million people. Learn more about how other parts of the world, including the second most populated nation grapples with COVID-19 in Economic Times Healthworld.