The cumulative number of Covid-19 vaccines doses administered in the country crossed the 193-million mark on Friday, according to the provisional report by the Union ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW).
The report mentioned that 6,63,353 beneficiaries in the age group of 18-44 years received their first dose of the jab on Friday (May 21), while the country has logged cumulative inoculation of 92,73,550 people across 37 states and Union territories since the start of the third phase of the vaccination drive. This includes 1,183,124 from Rajasthan, 1,060,702 from Bihar, 885,881 from Delhi, 682,744 from Maharashtra, 960,032 from Uttar Pradesh, 671,800 from Haryana and 602,691 from Gujarat.
More than 1.38 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine were given to the beneficiaries till 8pm on Friday, data released by the government showed.
The third phase of the inoculation drive began on May 1, when the government also allowed all above 18-years to get the jab.
As of Friday evening, a total of 193,297,222 doses have been administered, out of which 97,37,237 healthcare workers have received their first dose while 66,89,893 healthcare workers have been immunised completely.
{{/usCountry}}As of Friday evening, a total of 193,297,222 doses have been administered, out of which 97,37,237 healthcare workers have received their first dose while 66,89,893 healthcare workers have been immunised completely.
{{/usCountry}}The cumulative number also includes 1,48,63,770 frontline workers with the first dose of the vaccine and 83,05,152 who have received both doses.
"The vaccination exercise as a tool to protect the most vulnerable population groups in the country from Covid-19 continues to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level," the ministry said in the report.
India rolled out the nationwide vaccination drive on January 16. However, it hit a roadblock to maintain its pace in the past couple of months owing to shortages of vaccines. Beneficiaries across the country faced difficulty in finding slots on the CoWin app, the official portal created by the Centre to book vaccination slots at both government-run and private hospitals.
According to a report by ANI, India will get vaccines from five additional manufacturers by the end of the third quarter of this year. These vaccines are the Sputnik V vaccine (in collaboration with Dr Reddy's), Johnson & Johnson vaccine (in collaboration with Biological E), Novavax vaccine (in collaboration with Serum India), Zydus Cadila's vaccine, and Bharat Biotech's Intranasal Vaccine.
India is currently using Covishield, developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, and Bharat Biotech's indigenously manufactured Covaxin.