V. Ravi, former senior professor of Neurovirology at NIMHANS who is now the nodal officer for genomic confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 in Karnataka, said women lagging behind in seeking healthcare has been the common behaviour in the country. “For any healthcare service that is offered men are the first who come forward. Women too want to ensure that the men in the family get the service first. This trend has been observed in all childhood immunisations too,” he said. Giridhara R. Babu, member of the State’s COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), who is also the head of Lifecourse Epidemiology at the Indian Institute of Public Health in Bengaluru, said it was because of the prioritisation factor. “Women in general do not prioritise their health over others in the family. Also, it depends on mobility, especially in rural areas, and who will register online for them and related aspects,” he said.
Afshan Yasmeen, ‘COVID-19 vaccination: Women lag behind in Karnataka’, The Hindu
