270 doctors have died of COVID in second wave of pandemic: IMA

India’s deadly second wave of Covid-19 has claimed the lives of at least 269 doctors since the beginning of April, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has said.

Most of these doctors have had at least one dose of the vaccine, IMA president JA Jayalal said on Tuesday.

Last year, 756 doctors died due to Covid-19.


According to the IMA, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have suffered the highest casualty among doctors in the second wave of the pandemic. As many as 78 doctors have died in Bihar and 37 in UP.

Delhi, which was severely affected by the second wave, has seen 28 doctors die due to the viral infection.

While the IMA says that over a thousand doctors had died due to Covid-19 so far, the actual number is likely to be higher as the association keeps the record of only its 3.5 lakh members. India has more than 12 lakh doctors.

“We don’t keep a record for healthcare workers, too,” said Jayalal.

So far, only 66% of India’s total healthcare worker population has been fully vaccinated.

According to health ministry data, more than 96 lakh healthcare workers have had at least the first dose of the vaccine, while 66 lakh had taken both doses.

Niti Aayog member (health) VK Paul said the Indian Council of Medical Research was maintaining a very close watch on the vaccination of healthcare workers and the infection among them.

“There is a way to know it and updated insights will be provided. Vaccines are protective to an extent, the efficacy rates are of certain level and therefore in an overwhelming situation that risk remains and that’s why we continue to take additional precaution to make sure that we are protected,” he said.

Apollo Hospitals joint managing director Sangita Reddy tweeted on Tuesday that out of 3,600 doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers vaccinated with both doses at Apollo, Delhi, only 2.6% got infected with mild Covid-19. She said there were no deaths.

Last month, the health ministry had said the breakthrough infection rate after taking the first and the second doses of the Covid-19 vaccines approved in India — Covaxin and Covishield — remained low.