Pace of vaccination dips amid rising COVID-19 cases

The vaccination drive has faced roadblocks due to lack of doses (File image: Reuters)

The union and state governments now plan to prioritise second dose recipients amidst reports of shortages of COVID-19 vaccines.

At least 170 million vaccine doses have been administered across India, according to the ministry of health’s May 10 update. But the pace has been slowing.

Only 689,652 new vaccinations were administered on Sunday, compared to previous week's high of 2.3 million doses. The pace of daily new vaccinations (7-day rolling average) has almost halved from the high reported in April.

While the pace of vaccination has registered a dip, daily new cases are on the rise, as a result of which several states across the country are imposing lockdowns to contain the spread of the disease.

Over the last 10 days, India has reported at least 389,000 new COVID-19 cases every day, on an average. The daily case count exceeded 400,000 in five of the last 10 days. India now accounts for 21 percent of the total active cases in the world. Maharashtra has the most (618,070) active cases, followed by Karnataka (564,505) and Kerala (423,863).

Of the total vaccinations administered till date, 79 percent are recipients of their first dose while 21 percent have received the second dose. Among states, Maharashtra has administered the most 17.97 million vaccine doses, followed by Rajasthan (14.10 million) and Gujarat (13.93 million).

Looking at it another way, Maharashtra has administered 144 doses per 1,000 population, lower compared to some of the larger fellow states such as Gujarat (200), Chhattisgarh (198), Rajasthan (178) and Karnataka (157). Uttar Pradesh and Bihar -- among the most populous -- rank at the bottom.

While there is a shortage in supply of vaccine doses, states on the other hand are also reporting vaccine wastage.

About 10 percent of the country’s population (based on 2021 population projections) has received their first jab of the vaccine and 2.6 percent have received both the doses, indicating a long battle ahead.