‘Go for it India’: Health minister tweets as India's Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeds 990 million

India launched its vaccination drive on January 16 and health care workers were the first to be inoculated against Covid-19 and from February 2, front line workers were made eligible for vaccination.

Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday the cumulative vaccine doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive, which was launched in January this year, has exceeded 990 million. "We are at 99 crores. Go for it India, continue to rapidly march towards our milestone of 100 crore #COVID19 vaccinations,” Mansukh Mandaviya posted on Twitter.

People get a shot of the Covid-19 vaccine during a vaccination drive at Nair Hospital in Mumbai.  (ANI Photo)

Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday the cumulative vaccine doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive, which was launched in January this year, has exceeded 990 million. "We are at 99 crores. Go for it India, continue to rapidly march towards our milestone of 100 crore #COVID19 vaccinations,” Mansukh Mandaviya posted on Twitter. |#+|

Under the country’s vaccination drive, which began on January 16, 2021, health care workers were the first to be inoculated against Covid-19 and from February 2, front line workers were made eligible for vaccination. These included state and central police personnel, armed force personnel, home guards, civil defence and disaster management volunteers, municipal workers, prison staff, PRI staff and revenue workers involved in containment and surveillance, Railway Protection Force (RPF) and polling officials.

The government then expanded the vaccination drive from March 1 to include those above 60 years of age and those above 45 years with associated specified 20 comorbidities. From April 1, everyone above the age of 45 was given the vaccines and from May 1 all adults were made eligible for Covid-19 vaccination.

Meanwhile, the Centre has urged states and Union territories to focus on increasing the coverage of the second dose of the vaccines in light of adequate availability of shots and to accelerate the vaccination drive.

The health ministry said in a statement that Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan reviewed the progress of vaccination with health secretaries and mission directors of national health missions in states and UTs.

Bhushan highlighted India is close to administering a billion doses and congratulated the states and Union territories for their effort to vaccinate all citizens. According to the statement, the states and Union territories were advised to identify and prioritise districts that have low vaccine coverage for focused action and explore requirements for mobilisation efforts, addressing local challenges, the need for additional Covid Vaccination Centres and improving access in rural areas.

India reported 13,058 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours—the lowest in 231 days—the health ministry’s data showed. The active caseload in the country stands at 183,118, which is also the lowest in 227 days.

(With agency inputs)