In the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination drive, Maharashtra on May 14 crossed the 1.93 crore mark.
As per the data released by the health ministry, Maharashtra, as of 7 am on May 14, inoculated 1,93,12,943 people.
According to data released by the government, the state has administered the second dose of vaccine to 40,25,544 people and the first dose to 1,52,87,399 people.
Maharashtra tops the states with a total of 1,93,12,943 inoculations followed by Rajasthan, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh with 1,47,98,914, 1,47,60,705 and 1,43,93,696 doses respectively.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Thursday demanded that the Union government float a single global tender for coronavirus vaccines on behalf of all the states to avoid "unhealthy competition".
He made the suggestion during a video conference between Union health minister Harsh Vardhan and his counterparts from six states which have been severely affected by the pandemic, Tope told reporters here.
"If every state starts floating global tender, vaccine manufacturers will benefit. The Union government should review the total vaccine requirement in the country and float a common tender," he said.
"There should not be any unhealthy competition between states...It would not look good," Tope added.
The Centre last month asked the states to buy vaccines directly from the market for the inoculation of people in the 18-44 years age group. It will buy 50 per cent production of Indian vaccine manufacturers and distribute it to states for inoculation of the above 45 age group, the Centre said.
Talking about the current status of vaccination in the state, Tope said, "Some 20-22 lakh vials are required to complete the second dose of people (in the above 45 categories).
By diverting the stock procured for 18-44 age group, we can only arrange up to 10 lakh vials."
The Centre should provide the remaining 10 lakh vials immediately, he said.
Tope said he also raised the issue of Remdesivir imports with Harsh Vardhan.
"Maharashtra government has given purchase order for three lakh vials of Remdesivir, but the import permission is still stuck with the Drug Controller General of India. The Centre should expedite the procedure," he said.
Maharashtra showed a decline in daily cases on Thursday. 42,582 new cases and 850 fatalities were reported in the last 24 hours. With this, the tallies stand at 52,69,292 and 78,857, respectively. Meanwhile, the recovery rate of the state has increased to 88.34 per cent. 54,355 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, clocking the total recovery count at 46,54,731.
Mumbai, too, witnessed a marginal drop in the number of daily COVID-19 cases in Mumbai. 1,946 new cases and 68 fatalities were reported on Thursday. The tallies now stand at 6,84,048 and 14,076, respectively. Meanwhile, the doubling rate has increased to 189 days and the weekly growth rate has dropped to 0.36 per cent.
(With inputs from agencies)
