Status of COVID-19 vaccination around South Asia

Abstract

The public health sector and the global economy are facing the challenges of the epidemic of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) since December 2019. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emerging outbreak and spreading rapidly across the globe. The COVID-19 pandemic of unprecedented proportions has devastated almost all countries and pervaded globally. However, various vaccines have been developed to achieve immunity against the virus and limit transmissibility. By 18 November 2021, 52.6% of the world population got first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. South Asia shares 15% fully vaccinated and 22.6% partially vaccinated population in the world. The 56.5% of South Asian Association Regional Cooperation (SAARC) regions, consisting of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, and Bhutan, got the first shot of COVID-19 vaccine, whereas 30.5% were fully vaccinated. India has the highest percentage of the vaccinated population of about 46.5% among SAARC countries. Although South Asian countries have unstable multiple socio-economic factors, including poverty, overpopulation, low literacy about medical care and medical systems, etc., the increasing trend in vaccination status has been observed. The high percentage of health budgets of SAARC countries was utilized for purchasing COVID-19 vaccines. This report observes that South Asian countries have been significantly tackling the threats of COVID-19.

India’s efforts to achieve 1.5 billion COVID-19 vaccinations: a narrative review

“…This will make it easier to receive imported vaccinations and bulk medication materials, as well as make the best use of domestic fill and finish capabilities. Various vaccine options are available in other South Asian countries, such as Afghanistan (Covishield, AstraZeneca [AZD1222], Sinopharm BIBP COVID-19 vaccine, J&J/Janssen Single-Shot COVID-19 vaccines), Bangladesh (AstraZeneca-Covishield), Pfizer, Sinopharm, and Moderna), Bhutan (AstraZeneca-Oxford, Sinopharm, Moderna) [ 31 ]. J&J/Janssen, Pfizer, Moderna, and Novovax are the other vaccines approved in the United States and Europe [ 32 , 33 ].…”

Assessing the hidden burden and costs of COVID-19 pandemic in South Asia: Implications for health and well-being of women, children and adolescents

“…To our knowledge, this is the first systematic study from South Asia to assess the disruption in services across a large population (> 1�5 billion) and show that the effects continued to be felt well into the second year of the pandemic. Although South Asian countries have done reasonably well with COVID-19 vaccination rates so far [51], the vast inequities in global COVID-19 vaccine rollout across LMICs, and the risk of variants emerging and leading to renewed surges and continuation of the pandemic remains. Regardless, there are major lessons learnt from the experience of the current pandemic.…”

Evaluation of Post-Translation Control Mechanisms (Mirnas) In Type 1 Diabetic Patients with and Without Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy

“…Sri Lanka employed seven non-pharmaceutical interventions NPIs: contact tracing, quarantine efforts, social distancing and health checks, hand hygiene, wearing of facemasks, lockdown and isolation, and health-related supports to mitigate Covid-19 transmission. However, the second wave that emerged in Sri Lanka in early October 2020 continued despite numerous NPIs [37] until the country resort to mass scale vaccination despite encountering various challenges [38,39]. There is burgeoning literature on the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on health care systems and its use including oral health care from many countries [40][41][42] that provided useful insights to plan corrective measures to mitigate the negative effect.…”