The Ministry also indicated it is not in favour of a national lockdown to curb the pandemic, citing global experience of handling the second wave of COVID-19. “Global experience also suggests that economic impacts from subsequent waves are smaller than from the first as economies learn to ‘operate with COVID’. “The second wave of COVID-19 has posed a downside risk to economic activity in the first quarter of FY 2021-22. April 2021 saw a doubling of global vaccination rates and a concomitant lowering of average transmission rates in countries with high vaccination rates. State-wise Vaccine Hesitancy Index calculated as doses administered per 100 doses available show that North Eastern states and states like Goa, Jharkhand, Delhi, Bihar, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh are experiencing vaccine hesitancy," the finance ministry report said.

Source: The Hindu May 07, 2021 08:02 UTC