MUMBAI: In approximately six months since the Covid-19 vaccination drive started across India, 20.4% of the 18-plus population in Maharashtra has got at least one shot of the vaccine.
Statistics show that 18,623,132 or 1.8 crore of Maharashtra’s 91,435,000 population eligible for the vaccine have got at least one shot of the Covid-19 vaccine.
The number is higher in Mumbai, where 28,13,035 have taken the first shot.
“Mumbai has a population of 1.3 crore, so we believe over 25% of the eligible people have taken the vaccine,” said BMC additional commissioner Suresh Kakani.
A mathematical analysis done by UK mathematician Murad Banaji a few weeks back showed that the number of Covid-19 deaths among the elderly 60-plus population in Mumbai had dropped (in comparison to the first wave) due to vaccination.
Maharashtra leads the states in vaccination.
Although in terms of percentages, Himachal Pradesh has covered 37.3% of its eligible population with the first dose, in absolute numbers this is only 20,60,164.
With the threat of a third wave, experts maintain that vaccination is the only way forward.
“The only way ahead for India is to increase vaccination among the vulnerable populations, especially senior citizens.
Already states such as Orissa and Tripura have shown that an increase is vaccination has led to a drop in the number of deaths per million,” said Bengaluru-based epidemiologist Dr Giridhar Babu of the Public Health Foundation of India.
He said that once we ensure the vulnerable population gets two doses and others manage one dose, India would be in a safer place as far as the Covid-19 pandemic is concerned.
At present, there is a still a long way ahead.
“We cannot achieve herd immunity or anything close without covering 70% or so of the eligible population,” said BMC executive health officer Dr Mangala Gomare.
Dr Shashank Joshi, who is a member of the state task force on Covid-19, said that covering 20% of the population is no yardstick.
“The only way is to push vaccination for all within the next three months,” he said.
Meanwhile, as on Saturday, India has administered more than 23 crore doses.
Of these, 18 crore Indians have received the first dose while 4.5 crore have received both the doses.
On Saturday, Day 141 since vaccination started on January 16, 3.1 million were vaccinated.
The health ministry press release said that states such as Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have totally administered more than 10 lakh beneficiaries in the 18-44 age- group for the first dose of the vaccine.