Vadodara’s vaccination drive picks up pace as number of jabs peak

VMC declared that 18,165 people got vaccinated on Thursday, achieving a new feat in the number of vaccinations in a day in the city. As per the ongoing vaccination rate, the city administration will take approximately one month and twenty days to administer the first dose of the vaccine to the entire adult population of Vadodara.

The VMC data revealed that, since the drive’s inception on May 1, a total of 1,61,784 people in the age group of 18-44 had been vaccinated until May 26. Categorized into various age groups, VMC also puts out a daily count of the vaccines administered. As per the notification on May 27, 3,112 people other than 18-45-year-olds also got vaccinated on the previous day. VMC’s medical officer Dr. Devesh Patel, said, “The number of available slots for 18-44-year-olds in the city, stands at 20,000 every day.”

The number of registered voters in Vadodara for the general elections of 2019 stood at 17,94,896. Out of this, 1,74,673 people had received the second dose, and 5,76,250 people had received the first dose until May 26. While the number appears diminutive in relation to the total population of Vadodara eligible for vaccines, roughly 20,000 vaccinations daily draw an impressive image when compared to the number of people inoculated every day in other states.

The Mayor, in his notification on May 23, also showcased that a number of steps were taken to boost the vaccination drive, including an increase in the number of vaccination centers from 50 to 80 on May 24 and from 80 to 100 on May 25.

By the population demographics of 2019, if VMC continues to administer 20,000 vaccines each day, it would roughly take one month to vaccinate the remaining 12,18,646 people with the first dose of vaccines. With almost 59% of the population of Vadodara still sweating on cowin.gov.in to book a slot for their first dose, the increase in the rate of vaccination could imply lesser vulnerability to further waves of COVID-19 even after the current surge subsides.