Mumbai: Maharashtra has become the first state in the country to administer over 80 lakh doses of anti-COVID 19 vaccines to eligible beneficiaries since the rollout of the inoculation drive, the state government said on April 6.
Till April 5, 81,21,332 people have been vaccinated in the state, state Health Secretary Pradeep Vyas told a review meeting chaired by state Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte to take stock of the ongoing vaccination drive.
Daily, four lakh people were vaccinated in Maharashtra, an official statement said.
Maharashtra had received 1.06 crore doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, out of which 88 lakh doses have been used while the wastage stood at 3%, it said.
Kunte said the state government will vigorously pursue its demand for more stock of vaccine doses considering the rapid rise in the cases and expansion of the vaccination drive, the statement said. Kunte appreciated the efforts of the state machinery for tirelessly conducting the vaccination drive.
He said so far 12.3% of the beneficiaries above the age of 45 years have been vaccinated.
In Bhandara, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Mumbai, Pune, Sangli, Gondia, Washim, and Wardha districts, the vaccination percentage was more than the state average.
Kunte said the virus spread was more in Aurangabad, Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nashik, and Thane districts.
The administration will try to complete the vaccination in these districts at the earliest, he said.
Notably, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had on Monday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow people above 25 years to receive COVID-19 shots, which he said will protect the young people from the rapid spread of coronavirus at a time when they are stepping outside their homes to earn a livelihood.
In a letter to the PM, Thackeray also demanded that Maharashtra be provided 1.5 crore additional doses of COVID- 19 vaccines, which will enable the state government to complete within three weeks the vaccination of the beneficiaries above 45 years of age in six districts, including Mumbai.
Maharashtra’s overall caseload stood at 30,57,885 and the death toll at 56,033, as on April 5, according to the state health department.
