Covid cases rising in rural India, but vaccine coverage is falling

Data shows that rural districts now account for over a fifth of India's cases and deaths. Despite an increase, their share in vaccine coverage has dipped

The government may be right in targeting cities for Covid vaccination, given that a significant proportion of infections and deaths are coming from these areas. Still, a Business Standard analysis shows that rural areas may be catching up fast.

Until two months ago, rural India accounted for only 10.8 per cent of the daily infections. Now its share in daily cases has more than doubled. In the last fortnight, rural districts accounted for 22.9 per cent share of the daily cases. On the other hand, their share in deaths has marginally declined from 21.2 per cent to 21 per cent