Over 16.42 crore Covid vaccine doses are still available with states and Union Territories for inoculation, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday.
More than 141.80 crore vaccine doses have been provided to them so far through the Government of India (free of cost channel) and through direct state procurement category, it said. The Union government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country.
The vaccination drive has been ramped up through availability of more vaccines, advance visibility of vaccine availability to states and Union Territories for enabling better planning by them, and streamlining the vaccine supply chain, the ministry said.
As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, the Government of India has been supporting the states and Union Territories by providing them COVID-19 vaccines free of cost.
In the new phase of the universalisation of the Covid vaccination drive, the Union government will procure and supply (free of cost) 75 per cent of the vaccines being produced by the vaccine manufacturers in the country to states and Union Territories to be administered, the ministry said.
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