Covid-19: 78% people received first dose of vaccine, 35% fully jabbed, says Mandaviya

“India has administered 1st #COVID19 vaccine dose to 78% of the eligible population and 2nd dose to 35% of the eligible people,” Mandaviya tweeted.

Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday said 78 per cent eligible population in the country has received their first dose of the Covid vaccine, while 35 per cent have been fully jabbed. The minister’s announcement came on the 290th day of the Covid-19 vaccination drive that began on January 16 this year.

The Union health ministry said the cumulative number of doses administered under the country’s vaccination drive has crossed the 106.31-crore mark. (AFP | Representational image)

“An extraordinary feat of an extraordinary nation!” Mandaviya wrote in a tweet. “India has administered 1st #COVID19 vaccine dose to 78% of the eligible population and 2nd dose to 35% of the eligible people,” he said. “Congratulations to all as we rapidly progress on our path to defeat the virus!” he added.

Earlier in the day, the Union ministry of health and family welfare said the cumulative number of doses administered under the country’s vaccination drive has crossed the 106.31-crore mark.

“With the administration of 12,77,542 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 106.31 Cr (1,06,31,24,205) as per provisional reports till 7 am today,” the ministry said in a statement.

However, the government had also expressed concerns about the low vaccination rate in some districts across the country. On October 28, Mandaviya met with state health ministers to discuss plans to ramp up the inoculation drive. The ministry announced the ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ (door-to-door vaccination) programme for the next one month, during which the focus would mostly be on administration of the second dose to beneficiaries.

Following the meeting, the minister said the first dose coverage among eligible populations was at 77 per cent, while the second dose coverage was at 32 per cent. He also said that 48 districts have been identified where the first dose coverage is less than 50 per cent, according to a new report in ANI.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to meet with the district magistrates of 40 districts across some states to discuss the Covid vaccination situations there, the PM’s office said on Sunday. The respective state chief ministers are also scheduled to attend that meeting.