In what can be viewed as a key milestone as India tackles coronavirus, health minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday said that over 88 per cent of the adult population (people who are 18 years and above in age) is fully vaccinated against the disease. In a tweet, Mandaviya said: “Over 88 per cent of the adult population is now fully vaccinated against #COVID19. Congratulations India! Keep following COVID appropriate behaviour even after getting vaccinated. (sic)"
According to the latest government data, India's total vaccination coverage crossed over 193.13 crores as of 7am Saturday.
India began the vaccination campaign to fight Covid on January 16 last year while the new phase of the inoculation commenced on June 21, 2021. The vaccination coverage has since expanded to cover teenagers aged 15-18, and kids above 12. To support the vaccination drive, the government has been supporting the States and UTs by providing them with Covid-19 vaccines free of cost.
Meanwhile, India's tally has remained steady with the daily numbers between 2,000-3,000.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, India's tally has remained steady with the daily numbers between 2,000-3,000.
{{/usCountry}}On Saturday the country recorded 2,685 fresh Covid-19 cases, taking the total tally – registered since the start of the pandemic – to 4,31,50,215. The number of active cases was registered at 16,308, the data by the health ministry showed. With 33 fatalities in the past 24 hours, the death toll climbed to 5,24,572.
As many as 4,47,637 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, with the daily positivity rate standing at 0.60 per cent and the weekly positivity rate at 0.54 per cent. The national recovery rate was recorded at 98.75 percent, the data showed.