Maharashtra has crossed the 8o lakh mark in the number of COVID-19 vaccination doses administered since it was launched on January 16 and maintained its top slot amongst other states. On Monday, a record 4,30,592 people were vaccinated.
In the ongoing vaccination drive, Maharashtra has become the first state to administer over 80 lakh vaccine doses, followed by Gujarat at 76,89,507, Rajasthan at 72,99,305, Uttar Pradesh at 71,98,372 and West Bengal at 65,41,370, the Health Ministry said. Of the total 8,31,10,926 doses administered in the country, Maharashtra has, so far, administered the highest at 81,27,248 doses. Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala account for 60 per cent of the cumulative vaccine doses given till now.
Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte, on Tuesday, reviewed the vaccination drive. It was revealed that, of the 1.06 crore doses supplied by the central government, 88 lakh doses were used for vaccination. The wastage is estimated at 3 per cent, which is almost half of the national average.
For those above 45 years of age who have been vaccinated, the state average is 12.3 per cent, but it is higher for individual districts like Mumbai, Pune, Bhandara, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Sangli, Gondia, Washim and Wardha.
The chief secretary asked the administration to step up the vaccination drive for people above 45 years of age in Aurangabad, Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nashik and Thane, where the number of COVID-19 positive cases is high. He said that the state government will urge the central government for additional vaccine supply.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, last week, said the state government proposes to vaccinate 6 to 7 lakh people daily if the central government increases the vaccine supply. Public Health Minister Rajesh Tope said he has urged the Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan to make available additional vaccines.
