BS Number Wise: Does gender affect your Covid-19 vaccination odds?

A section of the population would say yes

While the government seems ready to push the vaccination drive into high gear, not everyone may be benefitting equally.

Vaccination data shows differences when sorted by gender. The number of vaccinations given to men and women are enough to give over 60 per cent of their respective populations at least one dose. It may be far lower for the transgender community show calculations based on government data given in chart 1.

Among the issues holding back the transgender population are lack of documentation and a general distancing of the community from healthcare services.

The last time the government counted people who don’t identify as male or female was during the 2011 census. Male and female population numbers were taken from the same period for comparison. The 2011 census was the first time that anything other than male or female was included in the record. It counted 4,87,803 people whose gender was recorded as ‘other’. The United Nations defines the term transgender as ‘an umbrella term used to describe a wide range of identities whose appearance and characteristics are perceived as gender atypical’. The government categorisation includes not only transgender individuals but also “any person who desires to record sex under the category of ‘other.’” It noted that the 2011 numbers could have had some such individuals choosing to record their information as either male or female. Vaccination data categorises individuals as male, female or transgender. This when taken as a percentage of the ‘other’ census population shows that little over 30 per cent of the transgender population may have got a dose.

This is not a recent phenomenon. Rolling seven-day data since at least July shows that men and women have consistently gotten more doses as a percentage of their population. There is a persistent gap stretching back to at least July, shows calculations based on the earliest date for which gender and dose data is available from independent tracker covid19india.org.  The gap has remained even as the number of doses went up (see chart 2).

There are also significant regional differences. Some states and union territories have managed to better vaccinate the transgender community. A state would need to have given doses equivalent to at least 200 per cent of 2011 census population figures to fully vaccinate its transgender community. Only Lakshadweep and Sikkim have reached such a figure. Kerala is third with 188 per cent. States such as Punjab and Bihar are under 25 per cent (see chart 3). 

The five biggest laggards account for nearly 44 per cent of the transgender population. Until they get a move on, full vaccination may take some time yet.