On cusp of 100 crore jabs, India's COVID vaccination drive in numbers

Rapidly marching towards the 100 crore jabs milestone, India on Tuesday administered 41 lakh doses of the COVID-19 vaccine which took the cumulative total to 99.12 crore doses. Out of the mammoth 99 crore figure, 17.1% of those above 60 years, 27.1% between 45-60 years and 55.8% of people between 18-44 years have received the all-important jab. Standing tall at 99,12,82,283 doses, India is set to complete 1 billion, or 100 crore record number by October 21, a little over 9 months after it kick-started the world's largest vaccination drive. Here are some interesting statistics to look at when it comes to India's COVID-19 vaccination drive.

How many days did it take India to reach 100 crore jabs?

India is likely to hit the 100-crore number by Wednesday, which means that it took the nation 275 days to achieve the record-breaking number. Given that the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine was administered on January 16, on average, 27 lakh doses were administered daily to reach the 100 crore mark. However, it's also important to factor in the phases of the inoculation drive, (which were initially open only to healthcare workers), and certain special days when record numbers helped push the nation past this mark. For instance, a whopping 2.18 vaccine doses were administered on September 17 on PM Modi's birthday. On the other hand, numbers in January and February saw not more than 50,000 doses being administered.

How many first & second doses have been administered?

The dose-wise statistics are also an intriguing read. According to the Union Health Ministry, more than 70 crore people have been administered the first dose, while 28.9 crore have been given the second dose. The government is hoping that this number crosses the 80-crore mark by the end of 2021. 

When it comes to percentages, India has given both shots of the vaccine to 20 per cent of its population. According to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker, by that comparison, 51 per cent have had a single dose. This means that 74% or close to three-fourths, of the adult population in India, have received at least one dose.

Another interesting thing to note is that mid-October has begun to see the demand for the first dose plateauing and that for the second dose rising. Second doses of COVID-19 vaccines are beginning to outrun the first shots. This means that more people are registering themselves for the second dose, as opposed to the first.

States/UTs with 100% vaccination

As per the statistics, smaller states and Union territories are fairing better in the inoculation drive in India. Data has shown that Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Ladakh, Chandigarh, and Lakshadweep have inoculated almost everyone over the age of 18 years with at least 1 dose. A 100% first dose vaccination has been achieved by Assam, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Goa. 

However, some larger states have also managed to achieve good numbers. Gujarat, Kerala, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh have vaccinated at least 90% of their population with at least one dose. A 70% coverage has been achieved by densely populated states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, which comes as a remarkable achievement. On the other hand, relatively higher vaccine wastage has been reported in northeastern states. Manipur, Meghalaya and Nagaland have less than 60% of their people jabbed with one dose.

(Images: Ministry of Health)