India: Day 1 of booster dose

The first day of the Covid vaccine’s ‘precaution dose’ (booster) rollout saw a modest response, with more over 10.5 lakh people receiving their third shot until 10 p.m. Around 7.4 lakh health-care employees and 3.2 lakh elderly people over the age of 60 were among those affected.

According to official sources, the low footfall could be attributable to a variety of factors, including fear of infection, senior immobility, and an increase in cases among health and frontline workers.

More than 1 crore eligible users received reminder SMSs encouraging them to receive the precaution dose on Monday.

Gujarat (1.6 lakh), Andhra Pradesh (1.2 lakh), Rajasthan (95,891), and Karnataka (82,384) were among the states that issued the most precaution dosages. Among the other important states, Uttar Pradesh, which is set to hold elections shortly, gave 59,628 booster shots, while Bihar gave 64,671. Till 10 p.m., Madhya Pradesh had 65,165 visitors, Maharashtra had 49,524 visitors, and West Bengal had 35,236 visitors.

The government has stated that the ‘precaution dosage’ will be the same vaccine as the first and second doses. Those who received Covaxin will continue to receive Covaxin, and those who received Covishield will continue to receive Covishield.