India Coronavirus Dispatch: Vaccine hesitancy still prevalent, finds survey

Is the Delta Plus variant more dangerous than its predecessor, colleges push for vaccination of students before a return to campus, and more-news relevant to India's fight against the pandemic

Over 50,040 fresh cases reported

India reported 50,040 fresh coronavirus infections on Sunday, taking the cumulative caseload to 30.2 million, according to central health ministry data. The country saw 1,258 fatalities due to the pandemic, taking the death toll to 395,751. The active caseload is at 586,403, while the total recoveries have surged to 29.2 million. As many as 321.7 million vaccine shots have been administered since the nationwide inoculation programme kicked off on January 16. Of these, 6.4 million were given on Saturday. Read more

12% of Indians polled in survey don't plan on taking the vaccine 'at all'

As many as 12% of unvaccinated Indians polled in a survey said they don't intend to take the vaccine at all even as the country faces the possibility of a third wave of cases, a report in ThePrint said. The survey found that 24% of the respondents said they don't plan on taking the vaccine yet as they are not convinced by the protection the vaccines can provide against current and future variants. About 23% of the respondents said a prevailing medical condition prevents them from taking the vaccine. The survey received 8,949 responses from people in 279 districts of India — 65 per cent of respondents were men and 35 per cent were female. While 48 per cent of respondents were from tier 1 cities, 24 per cent from tier-2, and 28 per cent from tier 3, 4 and rural districts. Read more

Is the Delta Plus variant more dangerous than its predecessor?

The new Delta Plus variant of coronavirus spreads nearly 60% faster than its predecessor, the Delta variant, an explainer in The Indian Express said.

The new variant also binds more easily to the lung cells and shows higher resistance to some of the drugs being used to treat Covid. Indian medical authorities have already declared it as the variant of concern, with the strain found in 49 samples from 12 states, the report said. Read more

Colleges push for vaccination of students before a return to campus

Colleges and state administrations plan to inoculate as many students above the age of 18 as possible before physical classes restart, a report in ThePrint said that cited sources familiar with the matter. This will benefit both undergraduate and postgraduate students as most of them are in the 18-23 age bracket. The ministry of education has unofficially communicated to the institutes to be prepared for phased reopening of colleges, which includes ensuring that the maximum number of students and staff are vaccinated, the report said. Read more

Railway Board aims for total vaccination of staff by July-end

The Railway Board has issued instructions to general managers of all zones across India to take steps to inoculate the entire railway workforce by the end of July, a report in The Hindu said. This includes coolies, contract personnel and other stakeholders. The board has called for more vaccination camps to ramp up the pace of vaccination with those waiting for their second dose to be prioritised. The zones and divisions having high vaccination rates, low wastage and good practices are set to receive suitable rewards, the report said. Read more