Economic Survey 2022 | Vaccination played critical role in minimising loss of lives

Pandemic posed challenge of balancing livelihoods while saving lives, it notes

A paramedical staff administering booster shot vaccination to a senior citizen at a health camp facilitated in Chennai. File image.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed the challenge of balancing livelihoods while saving lives, the Economic Survey , tabled in the Parliament on Monday, said. It highlighted that vaccination played a critical role in minimising loss of lives, boosted confidence in the economy towards resumption of activity and contained the sequential decline in output due to the second wave.

The Survey stated that two years into the pandemic, the global economy continued to be plagued by uncertainty, with resurgent waves of mutant variants, supply-chain disruptions, and a return of inflation in both advanced and emerging economies.

It noted that vaccination was not merely a health response but was critical for opening up the economy, particularly contact-intensive services. Therefore, it should be treated for now as a macro-economic indicator.

As per data given in the Survey, 99 per cent of the registered Health Care Workers and 100 per cent of the Front-Line Workers, 87 per cent of the population aged between 18- 44, 95 per cent of the population aged between 45-60 and 89 per cent of the population above 60 have been covered under the first dose.

Adoption of strategies

The Survey pointed out that need for a strong and resilient social infrastructure became even more important during the pandemic. “To save lives and livelihoods amidst the COVID-crises, countries have adopted various strategies. India, the country with the second largest population and a large elderly population, adopted a multi-pronged approach,’’ it said.

Given the nature of the pandemic, the health response, including vaccination strategy, remained critical. India, one of the young nations in the world, also faced the challenge to sustain the learning outcomes in schools, building skills and reskilling population, employment and livelihood to one of the largest labour forces in the world.

The government’s response through ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ packages and other sector specific initiatives provided the necessary support to mitigate the adverse impact of pandemic, it explained.