SBI report emphasises on vaccination, says nearly half of the new cases in rural India

‘Economy taking a severe hit from 2nd wave; Growth hopes fading'

The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has engulfed rural India, spreading far beyond the worst hit cities and districts, with nearly half the country’s new cases being reported from rural districts, an SBI research report said on Friday. Red-flagging the slowing vaccination pace from an average 28 lakhs per day in April to just 17 lakhs per day, the country’s largest bank’s research team said vaccination is the primary tool to reduce the severity of infections and India must vaccinate its people on a mission mode, even if it means suspending economic activity for a while after the second wave. “Given this trend, we believe India can only be able to vaccinate 15% of population by October ’21 (which is required for herd immunity given the other countries’ trend) but only if we are able to vaccinate around 55 lakhs daily in September & October, the report said.