NEW DELHI: Despite repeated prodding by the Centre, gender gap in Covid-19 vaccination in India persists. About 47.5% women having received the shots as against over 52.5% men who got them.
As on Wednesday afternoon, of about 76,09,63,563 doses administered in India, 39,89,69,610 shots had been administered to men. Number of women beneficiaries was 36,19,93,953. A minuscule number of transgenders have also received them.
In late June, nearly two months after vaccination opened for all adults, women’s share in the total inoculation was 46%. The fact that it has grown by only 1.5 % even when the national vaccination drive has gathered pace indicates that access to vaccines for women remains a major challenge.
The issue refuses to settle down even as the Union health ministry, in various meetings with the states, has taken up the matter and the National Commission for Women also wrote to chief secretaries of all states to close the gender gap in Covid-19 vaccination.
The gap in coverage between the two genders is a matter of great concern, the NCW had said last month arguing that there is an urgent need to increase the proportion of women coming to vaccination booths. The letter, shared with health secretaries of all the states, underlined that there is a need to create awareness so that more and more women are vaccinated on priority.
The Centre has been highlighting that the gender-gap in administering vaccines is significantly more among elderly population than the younger females. “It reflects the existing gender stereotypes in the society due to which women are left behind and the reasons include unequal access to resources and technology for both genders,” it had told the states.
Many women’s rights activists have been pointing out that in many households, women’s health is not considered a priority as compared to men if they do not work outside the home and end up getting less preference for vaccination.
Russia requests vaccine export
New Delhi: The Russian ambassador has urged India to allow export of single-dose vaccine Sputnik Light produced by Hetero, one of the RDIF’s partners in production, to his country till it gets emergency use authorisation from India.