PremiumThe cumulative number of coronavirus vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 20 crore, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.
India became the second country after the US to achieve this coverage in just 130 days. America took 124 days to reach the 20 crore mark.
On day 130 of the Covid inoculation drive, the vaccination crossed the 20 crore mark with 20,06,62,456 doses, including 15,71,49,593 first doses and 4,35,12,863 second doses, as per data available at 7 am today.
India's coronavirus vaccination campaign, the world's largest vaccination drive so far, was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 16 January.
Other leading countries in Covid-19 vaccination include the UK, which has reached 5.1 crore mark in 168 days, Brazil which reached 5.9 crore mark in 128 days, and Germany, which reached 4.5 crore mark in 149 days, as per the data available.
According to the latest available data with the Union Health Ministry, more than 34% population above 45 years has received at least the first dose of vaccine in India so far. Similarly, over 42% of the 60+ population in the country has received at least the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
India using 3 vaccines against Covid-19
India is currently using three vaccines against Covid-19 in its immunisation drive - made-in-India vaccines -- Serum Institute of India's Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. Russia's Sputnik V is the third vaccine to get approval from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for Emergency Use Authorisation and is being used in few private hospitals, which are expected to be increased over the coming days.
In phase I of the vaccination drive, the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC) prioritised Health Care Workers, and Front Line Workers (both government and private sector). Phase II of the vaccination drive started on 1 March, focused on protecting the most vulnerable age groups.
These prioritised age groups included persons above 60 years of age and persons above 45 years with associated specified co-morbidities. This was further relaxed to all people above 45 years of age on 1 April. In Phase III, ‘Liberalised Pricing and Accelerated National Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy’ was adopted on 1 May 2021. Under this strategy, everyone above 18 years of age are eligible for vaccination.
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