Will take scientific advice on booster dose: Government

New Delhi: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday said the decision on booster doses of Covid vaccines and vaccination of children will be taken after scientific advice. Replying to a marathon debate in the Lok Sabha on the Covid-19 pandemic situation and various related issues that began on Thursday, he said the concerns were expressed by members over booster doses and vaccination of the kids, but they should trust the scientists, who, by their tireless efforts, produced vaccines for Covid-19 in less than a year's time.

Noting that India's death rate per million in the pandemic per million was lowest in the world, he said that total deaths reported were 4.6 lakh which was only 1.36 per cent of the total number of infected people. "A total of 3.46 crore coronavirus cases have been reported in India and 4.6 lakh people died - this is 1.36 per cent of total cases. 25,000 cases and 340 deaths per million population reported in India - this is one of the lowest in the world," Mandaviya said.

He also claimed that before the Covid period, the health infrastructure in the country was "very weak" and this was strengthened under the Modi government, and a robust health infrastructure created in the last two years to face the challenge like Covid-19.

He said that there were only 16,000 ventilators in the country before 2020. During the first and second wave of this pandemic, it was analysed that there were need of around 75,000 ventilators in the country and immediately an order for 58,000 ventilators were placed and around 48,000 ventilators have already sent to the states and they have also sent the receipt of these life saving equipment, he further said.