First Round of COVID-19 Vaccinations in Maharashtra Could Cover 3 Crore Citizens

Maharashtra Health Minister, Rajesh Tope has said that nearly three crore people in the state could be provided with the COVID-19 vaccine in the first round. This comes as India prepares to officially start vaccination for vulnerable groups and healthcare workers in the next few weeks. 

Though the state was leading the country in terms of COVID-19 cases during the height of the pandemic, Maharashtra is now seeing a major drop in the number of new cases. Authorities say that they’re noticing a daily drop in the number of deaths while recoveries have increased. As of now, the state has around 61,000 active cases of COVID-19. 

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Tope said that preparations for the vaccination are currently ongoing, and the first round of vaccinations can begin before the end of December if the centre approves the vaccine. However, this is looking unlikely going by recent estimates. Tope also urged the Central Government to undertake COVID-19 vaccinations free of charge across the country. 

As for the groups that will be prioritized, Tope said that medical staff, frontline workers, people over the age of 50, and people under the age of 50 with co-morbidities will get the vaccine first. “Permissions and authorisation to carry out vaccination in the state is in the Centre's hand,” the health minister added.

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While it could take some time before a large portion of the country is vaccinated, the goal currently is to protect those who are most vulnerable. Officials have said that each person selected for the first round of vaccination will receive a text message on their personal mobile number.  

One of the most talked-about vaccines in India, known as Covishield, is produced by the Serum Institute of India as part of a joint development program with pharma manufacturer AstraZeneca. Meanwhile, a separate vaccine candidate known as Covaxin has been developed by Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). 

These two are the leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates for India, and both vaccines have been sent to the drug regulator for approval. Recent estimates say that India is on course to begin vaccinations by January. 

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