Less than 25% of the population fully vaccinated in 10 States/UTs
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 9, 2021
Unlike in the other countries, the difference between the proportion of the population that received at least one dose and those that are fully vaccinated is large because of the 12 weeks gap between the two doses of Covishield. The latest data indicates that less than 25% of the population is fully vaccinated in 10 States/UTs of India.
In the earlier stories, we looked at the COVID-19 vaccination trends in some of the large & most affected countries across the world. As of 08 November 2021, India has administered 108.47 crore doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, second only to China. We had highlighted in the earlier stories that while India has so far administered the second-highest number of doses, the proportion of the population covered is less than some of the countries. In this story, we review the vaccination trends in India and take a closer look into the trends across states.
About the Data & Limitations: The population numbers considered for this story are the projected population as of October’2020, provided by the Government of India. Since state-wise adult population (18+) is not available, the percentages calculated in this story are based on the entire population though only adults (18+) are currently eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine in India.
Around a quarter of the Indian population is fully vaccinated
As per the data furnished by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MOHFW), as of the morning of 08 November 2021, 74.03 crore persons have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. This accounts for around 54.5% of the total population of the country and 78.4% of the total adult population (18+).  On the other hand, 34.44 crore persons have received a second dose of vaccine and are fully vaccinated. This makes up around 25.5% of the total population in India and 36.5% of the total adult population (18+).
An average of 61% of the population received at least a single dose of vaccination in the Asia-Pacific region while around 44% on average have been fully vaccinated in the Asia-Pacific region. India is behind the region average on both counts.
On 18 September 2021, India administered a record 2.16 crore vaccine doses which is the highest single-day number of which 1.26 crore were first doses and the remaining second doses.
However, the number of persons receiving the first dose as well as the total number of doses administered per day has reduced since then. During the first half of October 2021, more than 50 lakh doses were administered per day. This reduced to less than 35 lakh doses per day in the first week of November 2021 and has further reduced after that indicating the impact of the festival season. The consistent trend that is observed since 15 October 2021 is the increase in the number of second doses administered per day compared to the first dose.
Less than 50% of the population in UP, Bihar & Jharkhand have received at least one dose
Uttar Pradesh has administered the highest number of vaccine doses with 13.31 crores, followed by Maharashtra at 9.91 crores and West Bengal with 8.08 crores.  Madhya Pradesh & Gujarat make up the top-5 with around 7.15 crores vaccination doses each.
Uttar Pradesh also leads in terms of absolute numbers of those who received at least one dose of vaccination as well those who are fully vaccinated.  Though 9.91 crores of its population received at least one dose of the vaccine, this accounts for only 42% of its 22.96 crore population. Maharashtra, which has the second-highest population in the country has managed to vaccinate around 54% of its population with at least one dose.
Apart from UP, Bihar & Jharkhand are the other larger states who have vaccinated less than half of their population with at least one dose. The 5.08 crore persons of Bihar who received at least one dose account for around 41% of its population. Jharkhand with a comparatively lower population of around 3.82 crores has managed to vaccinate only 39% of its population with at least one dose.
The Northeastern states of Manipur, Meghalaya & Nagaland have each vaccinated less than 40% of their population with at least one dose despite their lower population.  Among the states with at least 1 crore population, Kerala has managed to vaccinate nearly 72% of its 3.54 crore population with at least one dose, the highest among all such states.   Gujarat next in line among states with more than 1 crore population, in terms of the population, vaccinated with at least one dose
Less than 25% of the population is fully vaccinated in 10 States
In terms of absolute numbers, UP accounts for the most persons who are fully vaccinated with 3.39 crores. However, this is only 14.78% of its total population. Across all the States & UTs, UP has the least proportion of its population fully vaccinated. Jharkhand, which vaccinated only 39% of its population with at least one dose falls behind even in terms of fully vaccinated population. Only 15.6% of its population is fully vaccinated in Jharkhand. In the case of Bihar, the proportion of the population fully vaccinated is 16.3%.
Punjab, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Assam are the other large states who have fully vaccinated less than a quarter of their population. Despite their lower population, Manipur, Nagaland, and Meghalaya have fully vaccinated less than a quarter of their population.
Compared to the proportion of the population with at least one dose, Kerala lags in the proportion of the population who are fully vaccinated with only 40% of the population fully vaccinated. However, this is the highest proportion among all large states with more than a crore population, closely followed by Andhra Pradesh.  Gujarat, Delhi & Karnataka are the other large states which have fully vaccinated a higher percentage of their population compared to most of the other states.
While only 10 of 37 states/UTs have fully vaccinated a lesser proportion of the population than the national average, the population numbers of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal contributed to the lower national average.
In the last one month, the number of Second doses per day has overtaken first doses
As highlighted earlier in the story, there is a considerable fall in the number of doses administered per day after the record-breaking 17 September when over 2 crore doses were administered in a single day.
Unlike in the other major countries, the proportion of fully vaccinated population I.e., those who received both doses is much lower than those who have managed to receive at least one dose in India. Recent trends from the COWIN dashboard indicate that the number of second doses administered per day has consistently been more than the number of first doses in the last month or so.
This is a trend that was not observed earlier. The fall in the number of first doses is indicative of the fact that the government is prioritizing the second dose over the first dose. This is in the light of reports that 10 crore persons haven’t taken their second dose though they are due to take one.
While the prioritization of the second dose is understandable, the fall in the administration of first doses is concerning since a considerable section of the population is yet to receive at least one dose. If Children above the age of 12 years are also allowed to take the vaccine, this could further add to the existing burden.
Featured Image: Fully vaccinated population