INDIA GIVING 12.5 MN COVID VACCINES DAILY, SAYS PM

Himachal and Goa vaccinate entire population with first dose

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that India was vaccinating at a record speed of 12.5 million doses per day, more than the population of many countries.

Interacting with the health workers and beneficiaries of Himachal Pradesh (HP), which has become the first state in the country to vaccinate its entire adult population with one dose of Covid vaccine, Modi said, “Himachal Pradesh has emerged as a champion in the fight against the largest epidemic in 100 years. This success has underlined the importance of Aatmvishwas and Aatmnirbharta.”

The PM said HP was proof of how the country’s rural society is empowering the world’s largest and fastest vaccination campaign. Praising the state for overcoming logistical challenges and difficult terrains to reach the remotest areas, Modi said the success of HP had instilled confidence in the country.

While interacting with one of the doctors, Modi said that 10 per cent of the expenditure can be saved if all eleven shots in a single vial are used while administering Covid vaccines.

Later in the day, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted: “September has started on a high note as India touches 1 crore (10 million) #COVID19 vaccinations today. Under PM @Narendramodi ji’s leadership, world’s #Largestvaccinationdrive is scaling massive heights.”

India has so far administered almost 700 million doses in the country.

The pace of vaccination picked up in August, with almost 6 million doses administered per day compared to just about 4 million per day in June. India had achieved a new single day vaccination milestone on August 31 with almost 13 million doses administered, crossing the 10-million mark for the second time in the previous five days.

The health ministry had recently said that while vaccination every day may not cross the 10-million mark, states would still be expected to maintain the momentum to administer higher average doses. Drawing a parallel with cricket, Rajesh Bhushan, health secretary, had said, “You do not expect a good cricketer to hit a century in every match. But you do expect consistency in their performance.”

With more than half of India’s adult population now vaccinated against Covid-19 with at least one dose, the challenge next is to ensure complete vaccination for adequate protection against coronavirus and the third wave possibility. The PM also asked the hill-state to show the same vigour in giving the second dose.

After Himachal Pradesh, Goa is the other state to vaccinate its entire eligible population with a single dose. Uttarakhand, Tripura and Mizoram are also catching up to take their single dose vaccination coverage to 100 per cent.