Summary:
New Delhi: Two months since it rolled out the world’s largest vaccination programme, India has given 3.49 crore vaccine shots, or about 7% of its initial target of 50 crore, up from 3% by February 16.
India has 4.5 months to achieve the remaining 93% of this target.
India’s capacity to vaccinate every day has fluctuated, rising from 2.2 lakh shots on the first day of vaccination (January 16, 2021) to 1.3 lakh shots a month later on February 16 to 19 lakh shots on the third month anniversary (March 16).
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New Delhi: Two months since it rolled out the world’s largest vaccination programme, India has given 3.49 crore vaccine shots, or about 7% of its initial target of 50 crore, up from 3% by February 16.
India has 4.5 months to achieve the remaining 93% of this target.
India’s capacity to vaccinate every day has fluctuated, rising from 2.2 lakh shots on the first day of vaccination (January 16, 2021) to 1.3 lakh shots a month later on February 16 to 19 lakh shots on the third month anniversary (March 16).
India will need to give 36.5 lakh shots per day for the remaining 137 days until the end of July, in order to achieve its target of vaccinating 25 crore people with two doses.
A small number of adverse events, such ashospitalisations and deaths, have been reported following the vaccinations – 51 people have been hospitalised and 46 people have died after taking the Covid-19 vaccination, according to the government on February 26.
The government has maintained since January 16, that, “No case of serious/severe adverse event following immunization/death is attributable to vaccination, till date.” IndiaSpend reported on the need for more rigorous investigation and transparency on the reporting of these adverse events, which will in turn boost confidence in the vaccination process.
Since our last update on the one-month anniversary of the programme, India has opened up vaccination to senior citizens (aged 60 years and above), and to those aged between 45 years and 59 years with preexisting health conditions.
For this second edition of the Covid-19 vaccination update, IndiaSpend visited three vaccination centres – one government and two private – in the national capital and spoke to practitioners and public health specialists on the current criteria for vaccination.
Govt centres preferred
After initial reports of throngs of people at Covid-19 vaccination centres when it was opened to the private sector on March 1, the footfall appears to have stabilised to a steady pace, we found.
Jeevan Hospital and Nursing Home in south-east Delhi is located in the lower-middle-class neighbourhood of Sunlight Colony, on a cramped and potholed road.