ADVERTISEMENT

Some States Getting Smaller Share Of Vaccines Than What They Need, Says SBI Research

Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Chhattisgarh are getting lower vaccine doses than they require.

Empty vials. (Photographer: Mark Kauzlarich/Bloomberg)
Empty vials. (Photographer: Mark Kauzlarich/Bloomberg)

Some Indian states are receiving a smaller share of Covid-19 vaccines from the central government than what they currently require, according to SBI Research.

“We find that certain states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Chhattisgarh are getting lower vaccine doses than they require,” SBI Research said in its latest Ecowrap publication. “Thus these states have to procure large number of vaccines from the manufacturers to fill the gap.”

SBI Research’s analysis is based on each state’s adult population, overall death rate, new Covid-19 infections and deaths in the last month. They used the combination of this data to estimate the proportion of vaccines each states should be ideally getting. That was then compared with the actual share of vaccines allotted to states so far.

Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh were the two stand-out states that need a lot more vaccines than what they are getting, according to the report. “Maharashtra should have a share of 17.8% in the total vaccine allocation but as per the current data its share is only 10.1%,” it said. “Even if we include the vaccine doses in pipeline, the share is going to rise marginally to 10.2% which will still be below the required doses.”

On the other hand, states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Kerala, Odisha and West Bengal are recieving a larger allocation of vaccines than what is required given their population and Covid-19 infection counts.

The central government’s supply of vaccines to states is only meant for those aged above 45 and the frontline workers. For the 18-44 age group, states have to procure doses directly from the vaccine manufacturers.

Opinion
Districts In South India Leading Rise In Active Covid-19 Cases: Credit Suisse