India Coronavirus Dispatch: Why some states have higher vaccine wastage?

Scientific concerns around vaccine passports, how the second wave is different from the first, and more-news relevant to India's fight against Covid-19

64% school kids in rural India fear they have to drop out if not given additional support: Survey

 

As many as 64 per cent of school-going children in rural India fear they might have to drop out if additional support is not given to cope with learning gaps amid disruptions caused by the pandemic, according to a survey, a report in ThePrint said. The survey was carried out by Delhi-based NGO ChildFund India across 20 economically backward districts in 10 states including Bihar, UP, Delhi, and Maharashtra in November last year. The survey polled 725 children, 1,605 parents, and 127 teachers. The survey also found that 84 per cent of the parents and 83 per cent of the children want schools to reopen. Read more here 

 

Why are certain states showing a higher vaccine wastage?

 

The level of vaccine wastage is linked to the session size (the number of beneficiaries in a session) and vial size, explains a report in The Indian Express. The central government has identified two key reasons. The first reason is inadequate planning of sessions. For instance, if a vial contains 10 doses and only six people turn up, four shots can go to waste. Another reason is inadequate training. Vaccinators sometimes end up drawing only nine doses from a vial that contains enough vaccine to provide ten doses. “We are seeing that those who are trained vaccinators know how to draw a vaccine. These trained vaccinators will tell you that even in a vial of ten doses, you can actually take out 11. This is a crucial aspect to reduce vaccine wastage,” a vaccine official told the newspaper. Read more here 

 

How is the second wave different from the first?

 

The biggest difference is that the virus circulating in the state now appears to be much less virulent than before, explains Dr Pradip Awate, state surveillance officer for Maharashtra, in a report in The Indian Express. This is evident as the case fatality ratio, or CFR, is declining even though cases are rising. In Maharashtra, for example, the fatality rate in the last month is less than 1%. That is quite a hopeful sign while the rise in cases continues to be worrying, said Awate, who is in charge of monitoring epidemic-prone diseases in the state. Read more here

 

Scientific concerns around vaccine passports

 

Many sceptics of Covid-19 vaccine passports have argued it is too early for countries to start issuing such documents as data on the effectiveness of vaccines against contracting the coronavirus or passing it on to others is still limited, a report in The Indian Express said. Another concern is the emergence of variant strains of the virus such as the UK, South African and Brazilian mutations. It is still unclear if vaccines will be able to offer adequate protection against future variants. Read more here 

 

70% of Covid-19 cases in Bengaluru have travel history

 

As many as 70% of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 had recent travel history, a report in The Hindu said that cited findings from a detailed analysis conducted by a civic body on the recent surge in cases. Most of the others contracted the virus when they attended weddings, social gatherings, places of worship, and in communal areas of apartment complexes. Read more here