Maharashtra has managed to overtake Gujarat and become the state with the highest number of fully vaccinated people in the country.
According to reports, as of Thursday morning, May 6, Maharashtra has finished the complete vaccination of 28.7 lakh people, followed by Gujarat, which has given both doses to 28.5 lakh.
Meanwhile, West Bengal with 27.4 lakh complete vaccinations is in the third position.
In terms of coverage though, this achievement is a drop in the ocean — only 3.2 per cent of the nine crore adult population has been covered. About 15 per cent, which comes to 1.7 crores have received one dose.
As many as 11 districts, including health minister Rajesh Tope’s home district Jalna, have achieved less than 20 per cent coverage. In absolute numbers, Mumbai has vaccinated the highest (25.9 lakh) followed by Pune (23.7 lakh) and Thane (13.4 lakh).
Nearly four months after the vaccination drive started on January 16, 90 per cent of healthcare workers in the state have taken the first dose, and 65 per cent of both doses.
Among 13 lakh-odd frontline workers, complete vaccination has been achieved for a little over 61 per cent after they were included in the drive from February 13.
In the 18-44 years group, 1.5 lakhs have got the vaccine since May 1. This third phase is moving at a snail’s pace due to vaccine shortage. Mumbai, for instance, is merely vaccinating 1,000-1,200 daily in the five public and two private centres.
In the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, the Palghar district is among the slow performers with a first dose coverage of 14 per cent. A local senior official said just when awareness was being created, the district began to face a shortage of vaccine.
Meanwhile, a health official from Chandrapur, where coverage has been around 25 per cent, blamed the erratic supply and even questioned the distribution formula. Earlier, districts were allocated doses solely based on their coverage and active cases, sources suggested.
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