Over 2 crore citizens in Maharashtra vaccinated so far

Maharashtra, on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, achieved a new milestone by crossing the 2-crore mark in the vaccination drive which is being administered across the state. As per reports, Maharashtra is the only state in India to vaccinate such a large number of citizens. Observing the efficiency, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Health Minister Rajesh Tope praised the teams and the department on this achievement.

However, on the other hand, a large number of people are still deprived of vaccinations due to lack of adequate stock. Several people across the state have been waiting for the vaccination and are eager to know the dates for the same resume. 

Data reveals that over 99,000 people were vaccinated at a total of 1,239 vaccination centers in Maharashtra, on Monday, May 17, 2021. Maharashtra has so far vaccinated more than 2.9 crore citizens and details regarding the same was presented by Dr. Pradip Vyas. So far, the first dose of vaccine has been given to over 6.55 lakh citizens between the age group of 18 and 44 years . Maharashtra has been leading the country in coronavirus vaccination drive, and is followed by Rajasthan, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.

Meanwhile, due to the shortage of vaccines, the state government has decided to suspend vaccination of citizens between the ages of 18 and 44. Meanwhile, millions of people over the age of 45 are eligible for the second dose, but are not able to receive the same. Displeasure has also been expressed by citizens between 18 and 44 as the vaccine is not available everywhere. This has led to controversies among health workers and citizens across Maharashtra. 

Concerns were raised at the state cabinet meeting regarding all these situations, post which officials decided to immediately suspend vaccination of citizens in the age group of 18 to 44 years.

Besides this, the state government has floated a global tender to overcome the vaccine shortage. But so far, no response has been received and on the other hand, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) also released the global tender but it hasn't proved to be successful yet.