Delhi, Gujarat And Tourism-Based States Among Best Performers In First Dose Vaccine Coverage

Which states will reach a degree of herd immunity based on vaccination trends?

And answer, in one line, is the smaller states. Tripura, Himachal Pradesh and Goa had, as on 6 July, vaccinated over 50 per cent of their populations with at least one dose.

While Goa and Himachal expect 100 per cent vaccination with at least one dose by July-end, in Tripura, 80 per cent have already got at least one dose. The tiny state of Sikkim has achieved 75 per cent first dose, and is seeking to open up tourism for those who have been vaccinated.

Among bigger states, Delhi, Gujarat, Kerala and Uttarakhand have reached first dose vaccination levels of more than 40 per cent, while Karnataka, Rajasthan, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Jammu and Kashmir are in the 30-36 per cent range.

Maharashtra, which has been the country’s biggest epicentre for Covid-19, and which still has caseloads of over 100,000 along with Kerala, has achieved nearly 28 per cent first dose vaccination. The others in the 20-30 per cent range are Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Odisha, Punjab and Assam.

And bringing up the rear are states like Uttar Pradesh (15 per cent), Bihar (14 per cent), and Jharkhand (19 per cent).

Clearly, the smaller states, especially those dependent on tourism for revenues, have been quicker off the mark, as have the big business states of Delhi and Gujarat.

Gujarat’s achievement is clearly noteworthy since it is highly urbanised and also a big manufacturing centre. Tamil Nadu’s relatively poor performance is surprising and needs explanation.

Given in the table below are the vaccination levels as at the end of 6 July, based details from the CoWIN portal. The population estimates for 2021 are those of the Unique Identification Authority of India.