State’s adult population can be fully vaccinated by May 2022

If the State receives one crore doses per month, the target can be achieved by the first week of February 2022

Even though vaccination is considered to play a crucial role in blunting the feared third wave of COVID-19, Karnataka can hope to fully vaccinate its adult population only by mid-May 2022 at the present pace of vaccination that is hovering around 65 lakh per month or 2.1 lakh doses per day. However, by stepping up the vaccination drive to 3.3 lakh doses per day, if the State receives one crore doses per month as promised by the Centre, the target can be achieved by the first week of February, 2022. Karnataka is unlikely to fully vaccinate its adult population before the year end if the Centre does not accept the State’s demand for 1.5 crore doses per month, which will facilitate administering 5 lakh doses per day. Karnataka’s population above 18 years stood at 4.6 crore against a total population of 6.75 crore as on May, 2020, according to Aadhaar enrolment data shared by State government’s Centre for E-Governance.