Published on May 31, 2021
AHMEDABAD: Gujarat till Sunday evening vaccinated 1.27 crore persons for the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine while 41.12 lakh had got the second dose. Only eight states including Gujarat have so far vaccinated more than 1 crore population cumulatively. Out of this, six have achieved vaccination of 1 crore plus for the first dose.
Out of these states, Gujarat has covered the maximum population at 18.7% with the first dose – considering the population estimate for the state at 6.8 crore. Rajasthan and Karnataka rank number two and three with 17.9% and 16.2% coverage of population. It’s to be mentioned that the population estimates also cover 0-18 years for whom the vaccination has not started yet.
Likewise, analysis of the second shot – completing the two-dose vaccine for both Covishield and Covaxin, the two vaccines administered so far – among the states with 1 crore-plus vaccines reveal that Gujarat ranked second with 32.2% behind West Bengal’s coverage of 36.8% of those who have already taken the first dose.
In all, only 6% of the state’s population is fully vaccinated. According to experts, the number needs to grow much higher to shield the population against the possible third wave. In fact, month-on-month analysis revealed that the daily vaccination in April was 1.58 lakh, which came down to 1.02 lakh in 30 days of May – a drop of 35.5%. Due to an increase in the gap between two shots, the average daily vaccination for the second shot remained the same at 57,000 in April and May.
Senior state health department officials said that the focus remains on vaccinating the working population. “The sessions for the younger population are being increased – the last one week was focused on inoculating the 18-44 years population. While the 45 years-plus population is getting vaccines in on-the-spot registrations, it has not yet begun for the state for the younger population,” said an official, adding that the inventory for both the sessions is kept separately. “The CoWIN registration requirement would continue for the 18-44 years for now.”
Experts stressed on expanding inoculations in the rural areas where the coverage is comparatively lower.
Parth Shastri Archive 