Data | India's COVID-19 vaccination pace slows down, July target remains elusive

The decline was primarily due to fewer inoculations in the last few days of March in several major States such as Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha and Maharashtra

People give their details before getting vaccinated at a COVID-19 government health care centre, in New Delhi, Thursday, April 1, 2021. The third phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive for 65 lakh people aged above 45 has begun in the national capital from today.

The pace of COVID-19 vaccinations in India picked up considerably during the second phase of the campaign, with over 63 lakh doses having been administered across the country as of Wednesday. However, the average daily vaccine doses administered between March 21 and March 30 reduced significantly across many States compared to the previous 10-day period. The decline was primarily due to fewer inoculations in the last few days of March in several major States such as Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha and Maharashtra. The average number of daily doses required to meet the 400-million-doses target by the end of July and remains far higher than the current pace of vaccination.

Not quick enough

From March 21 to 30, 1.84 million doses were administered daily on an average in India compared to the 1.89-million average daily doses given between March 11 and March 20. At the current pace, India would be able to administer 289 million doses by July 31, around 111 million doses short of the target of 400 million. To meet the July 31 target, the country must administer nearly 3 million doses daily, starting March 31.

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Losing steam

The daily vaccine doses administered increased steadily this month and peaked at 3.4 million doses on March 24. However, due to two consecutive days (March 28 and March 29) of poor delivery, the seven-day average of doses administered daily fell below 2 million on Monday when several parts of the country celebrated Holi.

Which States fell short

The chart shows average daily doses administered in the period March 11-20 (P1) and March 21-30 (P2) in States where at least 5 lakh doses have been given. In 12 out of the 23 States, daily inoculations fell in P2 compared to P1. In just eight States, the pace increased significantly in P2 compared to P1; in three States, a marginal rise was recorded.