Oct dip leaves state with 90L doses, cloud over Dec target

Even as the state sits on more than 90 lakh Covid-19 vaccine doses, the October slump in vaccination has put a question mark on its plan to cover its entire eligible population with at least one shot by December.

- SumitraDeb.Roy

Mumbai: Immunization against Covid-19 dropped by 31% in October compared to September due to festivities primarily and the diminishing fear of Covid itself.

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday expressed concern over the slow pace of vaccination and said he will take up the issue during an interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi next week. Thackeray, speaking during an informal meet with journalists, said that vaccine hesitancy was an issue and urged people to shed their inhibitions and get vaccinated.

A cursory calculation shows that 100% single-dose coverage could be achieved in the next two months (barring Sundays) if 4.66 lakh people come out to get vaccinated daily. The target can be reached much sooner if the daily average increases to 7.5 lakh doses, which was seen in September and has been Maharashtra’s best. Dr. Pradeep Vyas, principal secretary (health), confirmed that the state had more than 90 lakh doses and there was no shortage of supply.