COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker: 11 lakh people received jab on May 14, over 18 crore shots administered in India so far

More than 11.03 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered in India on May 14, according to the Union Health Ministry's latest provisional report.

With that, over 18.04 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered across the country so far. On May 14, 6.29 lakh beneficiaries received their first shot and 4.74 lakh people were given their second dose.

The government has revised the gap between the two doses for the Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield, being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, to 12-16 weeks. However, the interval for the second dose of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin remains unchanged.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the nationwide vaccination drive on January 16, with healthcare workers at the frontline of India's COVID-19 battle getting their first jabs. The country began the second phase of the vaccination drive from March 1 in which everyone above 60 years of age and those over 45 years with comorbidities could start getting the vaccine.

From April 1, vaccination was opened for everyone above the age of 45 with or without comorbidities.

India rolled out the third phase of its COVID-19 vaccination drive for those in the 18-44 age group on May 1. The central government has liberalised the vaccination drive to allow states, private hospitals and industrial establishments to procure the doses directly from manufacturers.

Registration on CoWIN platform for the third phase began on April 28 and is mandatory for the 18-44 age group.

Here are key developments related to the COVID-19 vaccination process:

> Delhi has administered over 43.67 lakh doses of coronavirus vaccine, out of which 10 lakh people have received both the doses, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Atishi said on May 14.

> Karnataka will soon have a Covaxin-manufacturing plant of Bharat Biotech in Kolar district near Bengaluru, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan said. The construction work has already begun and the government has invited investors to make the vaccine in the state, CN Ashwath Narayan said.

> Dr Reddy's Laboratories launched COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V in India and the imported vaccine is priced at Rs 995.4 per dose. The first dose of Sputnik V, also the first foreign-made vaccine used in the country, was administered in Hyderabad as part of a limited pilot project. The first consignment of imported doses of Sputnik V landed in India on May 1, and received regulatory clearance from the Central Drugs Laboratory, Kasauli, on May 13, according to Dr Reddy's Laboratories.

> A total of 1.91 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines -- Covishield and Covaxin -- will be supplied to states/UTs free of cost from May 16 to May 31, the union health ministry said. The delivery schedule for the allocation will be shared in advance. States and UTs have been requested to direct the officials concerned to ensure rational and judicious utilisation of allocated doses and minimise vaccine wastage, it said.

> West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar defended the Centre's COVID-19 vaccine distribution mechanism saying it is being done "very rationally" and alleged that the Trinamool Congress government is not doing what is required to fight the pandemic in the state. The TMC dispensation has accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of discrimination over distribution of vaccines, claiming that some states are being given preference at the cost of others.

> Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal held discussions with US Trade Representative Katherine Tai on increasing vaccine availability in an equitable manner to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

> Actor Salman Khan received the second dose of the novel coronavirus vaccine. The 55-year-old actor, who got the first jab of the vaccine in March, was spotted at a centre in Dadar.

(With inputs from PTI)