Only 11 of 36 states and UTs had more vaccine doses than required on Dec 1

227 million vaccine doses were available with the states as on December 1

India may have vaccinated 85 per cent of its population against Covid with at least one dose, but nearly 140 million people still remain to be vaccinated.

States such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Maharashtra are among those with the highest available doses. However, a Business Standard analysis of the data shared by Bharati Pravin Pawar, minister of state in the health ministry, in reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha shows that on December 1, the government did not have enough doses to administer the second dose to people who had got just one jab and vaccinate those who hadn't received the first.

Even with the highest stock, Uttar Pradesh was falling short of 67.7 million doses, whereas Maharashtra and Bihar were short of over 25 million doses each. Tamil Nadu and  West Bengal were short nearly 20 million doses.

Of the 36 states and UTs or which data is available only 11 states had enough doses to cover their partially vaccinated population with a second dose and the unvaccinated people with first doses.

Although the country was expected to complete its vaccination by December, slow pace has led to a decline in the number of first dose administration. It is only in the last two week, as the threat of a new variant, Omicron, looms on the country that vaccinations have picked up again.

On Tuesday, data released by the government showed that the average pace of daily vaccination in the country was 8 million. Of these, only 30.4 per cent were first doses.

While Jharkhand does not figure in the top five states with highest available stock, its unvaccinated population — around 33 per cent — is among the highest.

As on December 1, 2021, a total of 227 million vaccine doses were available with the states.

States such as Maharashtra — the third highest in the number of doses in stock and 19 per cent adults unvaccinated — have asked the Centre to allow booster shots for the health and frontline workers.

Maharashtra has called for bringing down the minimum age of vaccination to 15. Pawar, in response to a Parliament question on Tuesday, said the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation  and National Expert Group on vaccine administration for Covid are considering scientific evidence related to the dose schedule of Covid-19 vaccines and the need for booster dose.

It is also considering scientific evidence related to vaccination of children between the age group 12 and 17 years.

So far, only ZyCoV-D vaccine, manufactured by Cadila Healthcare, has received Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approval for restricted use in emergency settings for the age group of 12 and above. This is based on the interim clinical data of phase II and phase III trials conducted in the country.