India on Monday launched a Covid-19 booster shot program for frontline workers and vulnerable people aged 60 and up, as authorities battle an Omicron variant-driven outbreak.
Overnight, approximately 180,000 new infections were recorded, up nearly six times from a week earlier, prompting curfews and restrictions on public gatherings in numerous cities.
People over 60 with pre-existing medical issues, as well as health professionals and other vital employees, are all eligible for a booster nine months following their second vaccination.
India appears to be in a better position to withstand the Omicron strain than it was before last year’s devastating Delta wave.
India appears to be better prepared for the Omicron strain than it was for last year’s disastrous Delta wave.
According to official data, more than 200,000 individuals died in a matter of weeks during that time period. Experts said the true figure is several times higher.
That outbreak saw hospitals overwhelmed, oxygen run out and patients scramble to source medicine from depleted pharmacies.
But experts still fear the number of new infections to come could test the country’s hospitals in a bleak rerun of last year’s catastrophe.
