Over 2.15 lakh in age group of 18-44 years get COVID-19 vaccine in last 24 hours

The vaccination drive is underway in 12 states and union territories. Cumulatively with 1,08,188 doses, Gujarat has vaccinated the most beneficiaries between the age bracket of 18 to 44 years, followed by Rajasthan with 75,817 and Maharashtra with 73,455.

New Delhi: In the ongoing vaccination drive across the country, as many as 2,15,185 beneficiaries of the age group 18 to 44 years received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry. 

As per a release by the ministry on Monday, the vaccination drive is underway in 12 states and union territories. Gujarat has vaccinated the most beneficiaries between the age bracket of 18 to 44 years, cumulatively with 1,08,188 doses, followed by Rajasthan with 75,817 and Maharashtra with 73,455. 

Haryana has administered 54,946 doses, Chhattisgarh 1,025, Delhi 39,799, Haryana 54,946, Jammu and Kashmir 5,562, Karnataka 2,353, Odisha 6,311, Punjab 635, Tamil Nadu 2,521, and Uttar Pradesh 33,242, said the ANI report. 

The total vaccinations across the country have crossed 15.88 crore mark, as the nation administered nearly 16.5 lakh vaccine doses till 8 pm on Monday, while the cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country stands at 15,88,71,435.

The `liberalized and accelerated` phase-3 strategy of Covid-19 vaccination came into force on May 1. Registration for the newly eligible population groups had commenced on April 28. 

On Monday, the government expressed concern over the rising number of daily COVID-19 cases in some states. Addressing a news briefing, Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry Lav Agarwal said 13 states, including Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, are showing early signs of plateauing or decrease in daily new COVID-19 cases.

Lav Agarwal said states like Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and West Bengal are still showing an increase in daily infections.

Delhi, which had recorded 25,294 cases on April 24, registered 24,253 cases on May 2. Similarly, Maharashtra had reported 65,442 infections on April 24 and 62,417 on April 30. Chhattisgarh, where 15,583 cases were reported on April 29, recorded 14,087 fresh cases on May 2.

A similar trend has been seen in Daman and Diu, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

On the situation in districts, Agarwal said Durg, Gariyaband, Raipur, Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh; Chhindwara, Guna, Shajapur in Madhya Pradesh, Leh in Ladakh; Nirmal in Telangana are showing signs of decline in cases in the last 15 days. Agarwal said 12 districts of Maharashtra are also showing signs of a decline during the period.

He further said there are 12 states where active cases are more than a lakh, adding that they are Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu.

According to him, there are 22 states where the positivity rate is more than 15 percent and in nine states the positivity rate is between 5 to 15 percent and in five states it is less than five percent.

He said states and union territories like Andaman and Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Odisha are showing an increasing trend in daily cases.

Puducherry, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and West Bengal are also in the same situation, the Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry added.

(With Agency Inputs)