Maharashtra to take 102-112 days to vaccinate all above 45 years of age

India has administered the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to 9.5 crore people and the second dose to 1.34 crore till April 13, thus vaccinating 10.85 crore people so far, the health ministry data shows. But Maharashtra-the most affected state-has so far vaccinated only 77.3 lakh above the age of 45. The state not only has the highest cases and deaths in the country but also has one of the highest test positivity rates in the world.

Around 2.75-3 lakh people are being vaccinated in Maharashtra on an average every day, say state health officials. Of the 3.86 crore people above 45 years of age in Maharashtra, the state has vaccinated 33.8 lakh in the 45-60 age group and 43.5 lakh above the age of 60 years, totalling 77.3 lakh. That's just 19.9 per cent of those over 45 years of age. To vaccinate the remaining 80 per cent (3.08 crore) people in this age group, Maharashtra will take between 102 and 112 days at current rate of vaccination.

For the age group of 25-45, Maharashtra has a population of 3.43 crore, according to the 2011 census. The government has not started with the vaccination of people under the age of 45 yet, but whenever it'll start, another 4 months will be required to cover them at the present rate of vaccination.

ALSO READ: India fast-tracks emergency approval for foreign COVID-19 vaccines

The target, however, could be achieved much faster if the vaccination per day is increased. Officials say the capacity to administer jabs can be enhanced up to 6-7 lakh per day. However, it is easier said than done.

Maharashtra has contributed over 33 per cent of daily Covid-19 cases since the start of the second coronavirus wave in India. As the country recorded 1.61 lakh news cases today, Maharashtra reported the highest daily news cases at 51,751, followed by 13,604 in Uttar Pradesh and 13,576 in Chhattisgarh.

Maharashtra's case recovery rate is poor at 81.94 per cent and the fatality rate is 1.68 per cent. Currently, 32,75,224 people are in-home quarantine while 29,399 people are in institutional quarantine. It is recording over 50,000 Covid cases every day after April 6 when the daily Covid count was 47,288.

Maharashtra government has blamed the Centre for not dispatching enough vaccines for it to enhance vaccination. State health minister Rajesh Tope last week alleged BJP-ruled states were getting more vaccines than non-BJP ones. He said Gujarat has a population of 6 crore, and it got 1 crore doses, while Maharashtra has a population of 12 crore but it received 1.04 crore doses only. Many other non-BJP ruled states also highlighted the problem of COVID-19 vaccines' shortages.

In a strongly worded response, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said it was nothing but an attempt to divert attention from the Maharashtra government's repeated failures to control the spread of the pandemic. "Their testing is not up to the mark and their contact tracing leaves a lot to be desired," he said.

ALSO READ: Russia's Sputnik V to be rolled out in May in India; pricing to be affordable

Though states like Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh have come under pressure due to the rising Covid graph, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his recent online meet with chief ministers, tried to soothe fears, saying there's no need to worry if cases were rising.

Instead, he asked officials to ramp up testing and vaccination. He also called for 'Teeka Utsav' - a vaccination festival between April 11 and April 14, which has received better  response.

India is right now facing the worst of the Covid-19 wave with infections rising at an unprecedented pace.  The government has stepped up the fight against the deadly virus by doubling down efforts on testing and vaccination. India's vaccination programme is the biggest in the world in terms of scale, but it's still not enough to cover the entire population of over 1.35 billion people.

The country started the Covid vaccination programme on January 16, covering healthcare workers in the first phase. In early February, the vaccination programme was expanded to include frontline workers. In phase 2 from March 1, people aged above 60 years and those above 45 years of age with co-morbidities were included. On April 1, the programme was further expanded to everyone above the age of 45.

ALSO READ: How much vaccines can India make? And the catch...

(Edited by Manoj Sharma)