India vaccinates 50% of its adult population; some states lag behind

More than 50 per cent of India's adult population was fully vaccinated against Covid-19 on Monday. About 472 million Indians got both doses in 323 days. But large states like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Jharkhand have less than 40 per cent of the adult population fully vaccinated.

Roderico Ofrin, WHO India Chief, in an interview with India Today, emphasised that getting the entire population under vaccination coverage is most important against the Omicron variant. 

The states that fall behind are Uttar Pradesh that has fully vaccinated 35 per cent of its adult population, Jharkhand (32 per cent), Punjab (36 per cent), Bihar (41 per cent), Bengal (43 per cent).

North-Eastern states have shown slow progress in fully inoculating their adult population--- Nagaland (34 per cent), Meghalaya (40 per cent), and Manipur (46 per cent)

Contrastingly, states/UTs that have covered more than 80 per cent of their adult population with both the doses are Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Lakshwadeep. 

Up to 85 per cent of the adult population has received at least one vaccine jab. 
 

Although India has administered 1 billion doses in 10 months, experts say that the percentage of the total population vaccinated is still meager. 

"What's the point of a discussion on booster doses when not even 25% of the population are vaccinated in some of the largest states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar & Jharkhand?" tweeted Rijo M. John, Health Economist. 

India has fully vaccinated only 34 per cent of its total population (including 57 crore less than 18 years old). 

Out of the total population, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have vaccinated only 23 per cent, while Jharkhand has vaccinated only 21 per cent.

The vaccination coverage in the country has exceeded 128.9 crores as per the provisional reports released by the ministry of health and family welfare today. 

“It is a moment of great pride as over 50% of the eligible population are now fully vaccinated,” Union health minister Mansukh Mandviya wrote on Twitter. “We will win the battle against COVID-19 together.”