Vaccination drives against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) are underway in several countries, and according to data accumulated by Bloomberg, 42.2 million vaccine doses have been administered in 51 nations. The global caseload of Covid-19 is at over 95 million of which more than 2 million people have lost their lives, the Johns Hopkins University's coronavirus tracker shows.
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Here’s a look at vaccination status in countries with highest Covid-19 caseloads:
1. US (23.9 million cases): The United States, which has the highest Covid-19 caseload in the world, was among the first countries to launch a vaccination drive. Data from Bloomberg and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows 14.3 million shots have been administered in the country since December 14, 2020, Day 1 of vaccination drive.
2. India (10,571,773): The largest vaccination drive against Covid-19 began on January 16 in India, whose caseload is the second-highest in the world. In the first two days of the drive, 224,301 people received vaccine shots, said the Union health ministry.
3. Brazil (8,488,099): Its Covid-19 caseload is the third-highest and Brazil is yet to begin its vaccination drive. Its health regulator, Anvisa, approved the country’s first two vaccines on Sunday - CoronaVac from China’s Sinovac and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
{{/usCountry}}3. Brazil (8,488,099): Its Covid-19 caseload is the third-highest and Brazil is yet to begin its vaccination drive. Its health regulator, Anvisa, approved the country’s first two vaccines on Sunday - CoronaVac from China’s Sinovac and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
{{/usCountry}}4. Russia (3,552,888): Last August, Russia claimed to have developed the world’s first vaccine against Covid-19 and has named it Sputnik V. As of January 11, as per the official account of the vaccine, more than 1.5 million people have been vaccinated in the world’s largest nation.
5. United Kingdom (3,405,740): The UK was the first country in the world to launch a vaccination drive against Covid-19 on December 8 and has administered the first dose to more than 3.8 million people so far. From Monday, another 5 million will become eligible to receive a vaccine shot.
6. France (2,969,091): Vaccination drive started in France on December 27, 2020, but the government has come under criticism for a “slow rollout.” There are 422,127 people who have been vaccinated so far, as the government aims to have carried out 1 million vaccinations by the end of January.
7. Italy (2,381,277): Italy, too, started vaccinating its citizens on December 27. As of January 17, 1,153,501 people have been vaccinated, figures from the country’s health ministry show.