UP continuously improving its monthly vaccine coverage: Health ministry

Noting that vaccine availability and vaccination rate have been consistently improving in the country, the health ministry said Uttar Pradesh has improved its monthly vaccine coverage from a mere 4.63 lakh in January to over 1.54 crore in of July.

Refuting media reports alleging slow pace of COVID-19 vaccination in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the ministry said consistent improvement in vaccination coverage in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh has been seen.

"It is clarified that the news report is misleading as it takes in\to account the average daily vaccination rate from the beginning of the COVID vaccination drive in order to show a low rate of vaccination and then further uses this number to claim that the states will take many years to complete the vaccination drive for its citizens," the ministry said in a statement.

Furthermore, using an average when the availability of vaccines was extremely low across the world, including India, and then extrapolating the low rate by comparing it with present data when the vaccine supply is expected to be very high, may also lead to vaccine hesitancy which is a global issue during vaccination, it said.

"Despite a large cohort for vaccination and huge size of the state with sizable rural population, the state is committed to providing free vaccination to all its eligible citizen as soon as possible, the ministry said referring to Uttar Pradesh.

The state has proactively worked towards this endeavour to which the rising monthly vaccination coverage of the state is testimony, it said.

The state has been continuously improving its monthly vaccine coverage from mere 4.63 lakh in January to over 1.54 crore in the month of July. Uttar Pradesh also continues to be among the leading states in terms of vaccination coverage," the ministry said.