Data | COVID-19 cases surge in rural India even as vaccination rates are lower than urban areas

Though the rural population has received relatively fewer doses in every State, the disparities were more pronounced in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh

A member of a COVID-19 awareness task force committee distributing masks in the rural areas of Kalaburagi district.

While the second wave of COVID-19 cases in India is on the wane, the share of cases in rural districts has started to increase. However, this rural surge was not uniform across all States and is more pronounced in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. The rural-urban asymmetry also exists in vaccination coverage, with the rural population having relatively lower numbers for vaccinations in each State analysed. Though rural infrastructure to administer vaccines is in place, the supply of doses is still skewed towards urban areas. The analysis is restricted to States where relevant data were available.

Rural share

The rise in rural cases was more pronounced in U.P., Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

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First doses

Though the rural population has received relatively fewer doses in every State, the disparities were more pronounced in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

 

Full vaccinations

Though the rural population has received relatively fewer double doses in every State, the disparities were more pronounced in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

 

Inoculation sites

Though rural districts had relatively fewer vaccinations, most States had better rural infrastructure to deliver the shot. However, the supply was skewed towards urban districts.