E-Paper
India's Covid vaccination coverage exceeds 145 crore, Mandaviya says 'ending year on great note'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 25 announced Covid-19 vaccine doses for children aged 15 and above from January 3 onwards, and “precaution dose” (booster dose) for healthcare and frontline workers, and those aged 60 with comorbidities from January 10 onwards.
India's overall vaccination coverage against coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on Thursday surpassed the 145 crore-mark. According to figures updated on the Cowin portal, as many as 145,07,42,576 vaccine doses have been administered to eligible beneficiaries till the time of writing this report.
Union minister for health and family welfare Mansukh Mandaviya hailed the milestone and said that India was “ending the year on a great note” “My gratitude to our doctors, scientists, healthcare and frontline workers for displaying immense grit, determination and resolve in the challenging 2021 year,” he tweeted.
Dr Bharati Pawar, the Union minister of state (MoS) for health and family welfare also took to the microblogging site to laud the achievement of the country. “Salute to our Covid warriors, our healthcare and frontline workers who have worked day and night to help us achieve it,” she wrote on Twitter.
In a press briefing on Thursday, joint secretary of Union health ministry Lav Agarwal said that approximately 90% of India's adult population has been inoculated with the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine so far, while 63.5% of the eligible population has been jabbed with the second.
As per Cowin updates, as many as 53,93,001 beneficiaries have been administered with coronavirus vaccine shots during the day till the time of writing this report.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 25 announced Covid-19 vaccine doses for children aged 15 and above from January 3 onwards, and “precaution dose” (booster dose) for healthcare and frontline workers, and those aged 60 with comorbidities from January 10 onwards.
The vaccination ramp up comes amid the Omicron Covid-19 variant outbreak, which has spread like fire across the country with more than 1,000 infections in 24 states and Union territories (UTs). Maharashtra and Delhi remains the leading contributors with 450 and 320 cases, respectively.
India has also maintained a consistent upward trend in single-day Covid-19 cases. On Friday, it reported as many as 16,764 fresh infections, up from Thursday's 13,154, thereby pushing the cumulative tally to 3,48,38,804, according to data shared by Union health ministry.
