Delhi fares below several states in vaccinating healthcare and front line workers against Covid-19

Delhi currently has around 5.3 lakh frontline workers and 3.5 lakh healthcare workers.

Close to 58 per cent of the frontline workers in Delhi have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Around 58.65 per cent of the healthcare workers have received both doses of the vaccine, the health department said in the Delhi Assembly.

The question was asked by AAP MLA Sanjeev Kha. Additional Chief Secretary in his response also mentioned that the House till July 28 provided the first dose to 75.6 per cent of healthcare workers and 87.17 per cent of frontline workers have got their first jab. Delhi currently has around 5.3 lakh frontline workers and 3.5 lakh healthcare workers.

Mumbai on the other hand fully vaccinated 51.06 per cent of the healthcare and frontline workers. data from the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai shows. The Maharashtra capital has 5.75 lakh healthcare and frontline workers combined.

NITI Aayog Member Dr VK Paul has raised concern about the inoculation rate of health care and frontline workers in Delhi that is less than the national average even when the overall vaccination status of the national capital is far better than the nationals average despite a shortage of doses in the state.

Meanwhile, states such as Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala have fared significantly better in inoculating their healthcare and frontline workers. The highest among them is Odisha, where 82.5 per cent of the health care workers have received both the vaccine doses followed by Jharkhand with 81 per cent of them, are fully vaccinated. Chattisgarh has a coverage of 72 per cent of healthcare workers and 78 per cent front line workers. In Bihar, 80% of frontline and healthcare workers have been fully vaccinated.

Andhra Pradesh on the other hand claims to have fully vaccinated all health care and frontline workers. Karnataka has vaccinated 72 per cent of health care and 38 per cent of frontline workers and Kerala has administered two doses to 83% of healthcare workers and 82% of frontline workers.

In April the Centre targeted Delhi for the low rate of vaccination among healthcare workers when Health Minister Satyendar Jain attributed the situation to low supply of doses and low pace at Centre run facilities. The break-up of vaccination coverage at Centre-run hospitals in Delhi and HCWs in Delhi were not available then.