In terms of the number of daily doses administered globally, India stands at the top with an average of 3,430,502 COVID-19 vaccine doses administered per day.

India is followed by the US at 3,029,052 daily doses, Brazil at 673,498; France at 349,454; Germany at 278,049; and the UK at 3,39,576 daily doses administered.

In the last 24 hours, more than three million vaccination doses were administered in India. Cumulatively, over 90 million vaccine doses have been administered till today since the vaccination campaign was kicked off in the country on January 16.

Eight states account for 60 per cent of the total doses given so far in the country. At 9.92 per cent, Maharashtra has the highest share in the cumulative doses. It is followed by Rajasthan (9.19 per cent), Gujarat (9.03 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (8.70 per cent), and West Bengal (7.82 per cent). This data was shared by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare today on April 8.

Meanwhile, amid the surging coronavirus cases in the country, states such as Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh have reported limited COVID-19 vaccine stocks.

Also Read: COVID19 second wave: Several states in India reportedly have limited vaccine stocks. Is there a vaccine shortage?

Yesterday, on April 7, Rajesh Tope, the health minister of Maharashtra, the state worst affected by COVID-19, said the state has vaccine ‘stocks to last only 3 days’. He said he has communicated his concerns to Vardhan and has requested a supply of four million doses per week.

Maharashtra is not the only state that has written to the Centre pointing out vaccine stocks running dry. 

A day after the additional chief secretary of Odisha wrote to Union health minister Harsh Vardhan about “Nil stock of Covishield vaccine in all Regional & District vaccine stores”, Naba Kisor Das, the state’s health minister, wrote to Vardhan on April 7 informing him that with the available vaccine stock, the state “will be able to continue vaccination for the next two days”. 

“By 9th April, there will be stock out of Covishield vaccine in the entire State. This will adversely impact timely administration of the second dose of vaccine as well as delay in vaccination of citizens (45 years and above),” reads the Odisha health minister’s letter. He has asked for a supply of at least 10 days stock — 2.5 million vaccine doses.

The letter also informs the central government that “due to shortage of vaccine, we have had to close nearly 700 vaccination centres in the State”. Of the total 1,400 functional sites for vaccination, only 755 were active on April 7. 

Also Read: ‘By 9th April, stock-out of Covishield vaccine in the entire state’: Odisha govt writes to health minister Harsh Vardhan

Meanwhile, in a statement on April 7, Vardhan dismissed allegations of vaccine shortage as “utterly baseless”. 

Also Read: Health minister Harsh Vardhan assures no vaccine shortage; Odisha govt says can conduct vaccination for another 3 days only

As per the news reports, the Andhra Pradesh government has also informed the central government that if additional doses are not released soon, the state might run out of its COVID19 vaccine stocks within this week. This is expected to affect the ongoing vaccination drive.

Meanwhile, in response to some state government’s writing to the central government regarding COVID19 vaccine stocks drying up, the Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has clarified there is no vaccine shortage. He has termed these attempts as means to distract attention from the states’ failures and spreading panic among the people.

Also Read: ‘Allegations of vaccine shortage are utterly baseless’: Health Minister Harsh Vardhan

The data shared by the health ministry shows India’s daily new cases continue to rise; 1,26,789 new COVID19 cases were registered in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra continues to report the highest daily new cases (59,907). It is followed by Chhattisgarh (10,310) and Karnataka (6,976) new cases.

As many as 685 people have lost their lives to the virus in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties (322). Punjab followed with 62 daily deaths.