Setting record, over 13 lakh people take Covid vaccines on a single day in Andhra Pradesh

AMARAVATI: Andhra Pradesh achieved on Sunday what the health authorities feel could be a world record as over 13.26 lakh people were vaccinated from 6 AM to 8 PM in more than 2,200 locations in all 13 districts of the State.

Covid Task Force chairman of the State K S Jawahar Reddy said it was a remarkable achievement to vaccinate 1.3 million people in a day under the mega vaccination drive, reported PTI.

This showed that our medical team and other staff can take up over one million vaccinations in a day if the government at the Centre maintains the (vaccine) supply, Reddy said.

In the process, the state also crossed the one crore mark in the administration of the first dose of coronavirus vaccine.

So far, 1.10 crore people in the state got the first dose and 27.29 lakh the second dose since the Covid-19 vaccination programme began on January 16.

A sum of 1.37 crore vaccine doses (first and second) were administered in the state so far.

By 2 pm, 9,02,308 people were inoculated, according to the Health Department data. By 3.30 pm, the number crossed the one million mark.

After setting a record by vaccinating over six lakh people in a day during Tika Utsav in April, the State government on Sunday planned to break its own record by administering the Covid-19 vaccine to nearly 10 lakh beneficiaries.

All arrangements were in place for the mega vaccination drive to be held from 7 am to 6 pm across the State tomorrow. District Collectors are overseeing the last minute arrangements for the success of mega vaccination drive. Women with children aged below 5 years and other priority groups in the 45 plus category will be vaccinated during the drive. 

According to a senior official in the Health Department, 56.63 per cent of people aged above 45 years have been administered at least one dose of Covid vaccine so far.

Now, the target is to cover the remaining 43.4 per cent of that category. As on date, 5.63 lakh of 18.55 lakh mothers of children aged below five years have been given the first jab. 

On April 14, 6,28,961 people were vaccinated in AP, then a record high in a day in the country.

The state reported 5,646 fresh COVID-19 cases from one lakh tests, while 7,772 people recovered and another 50 succumbed to the virus in 24 hours ending 9 am on Sunday.

The gross positives have now mounted to 18,50,563 and the recoveries increased to 17,75,176, a health department bulletin said.

The cumulative toll was 12,319.

The active caseload in the state has now reduced to 63,068, the bulletin added.

East Godavari district added 1,098, Chittoor 890, West Godavari 761 and Krishna 441 new cases in 24 hours.

The remaining nine districts reported less than 400 new cases each, with Kurnool logging the lowest 127.

Chittoor reported 11 fresh COVID-19 fatalities, West Godavari seven, Guntur six, East Godavari five, Srikakulam four, Anantapuramu, Kadapa, Krishna and Prakasam three each, Kurnool and Visakhapatnam two each.

SPS Nellore had one death in a day.

(With ENS, PTI inputs)