At under 3L, Maha's daily vax coverage drops to 8-mth low

Pune: Covid-19 vaccination coverage has plunged to an average of less than 3 lakh a day in Maharashtra over the past 18 days—the lowest in eight months. In January, the state was seeing some 4.7 lakh vaccinations a day and in November, the number was 5.3 lakh.

- Neha.Madaan @timesgroup.com

Experts said the drop in cases and the three-month wait for the second dose for many who recently contracted Covid were likely reasons for the slowed coverage.

State health officials also told TOI a large chunk from the pending list of first-dose beneficiaries, over 78 lakh people, are still to get the shot. Many of these individuals, the official said, may not end up being vaccinated as all efforts to convince them have so far not succeeded.

“We seem to have run out of adult beneficiaries willingly seeking first doses. Most doses are now being used to cover people whose second jab is due, as boosters and for teenagers in the 15-17 category,” a senior official from the state health department said.