Booster shots may be flagging, but India is ready for festival season

On 30 September, India concluded a 75-day special drive to lift its dismal covid-19 booster dose coverage. The promise of free “precautionary" doses to all adults raised the coverage from 8% to 27%. However, this means more than 70% of adults have given the third shot a miss. As it has not really led to any notable spike in infections, Indians are ready to celebrate the best festival season in three years. With the World Health Organization (WHO) offering its most upbeat remarks yet, that an end to the pandemic is in sight, Mint looks at where things stand and how important boosters are.