Covid-19: Vaccine doses administered in India crosses 100-crore milestone

India has achieved the remarkable milestone of crossing the 100-crore mark for administering the Covid-19 vaccine to its population. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya congratulated the country on its achievement in a tweet, saying it was due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s effective leadership.

Over 75% of India’s total adult population has received at least the first dose of the vaccine. Around 31% have received both doses.

The Union Health Ministry’s data said that it has taken 85 days for India to reach the 10-million immunisation threshold. It took over 45 days to reach the 20-million level, and 29 days to reach the 30-million mark.

On August 6, the country took 24 days to reach the 40-crore level from 30-crore doses, and another 20 days to surpass the 50-crore threshold.

It took 76 days to reach the 100-crore milestone after that.

Uttar Pradesh leads the top five states in terms of dosages administered, followed by Maharashtra, West Bengal, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh.

The first phase of the nationwide immunisation campaign began on January 16, with health care workers (HCWs) receiving vaccinations. Frontline workers (FLWs) have been vaccinated since February 2.

The next phase of Covid-19 vaccination began on March 1 for persons over the age of 60 and those aged 45 and up who have certain co-morbid disorders. From April 1, the country began vaccinating all people above the age of 45.

From May 1, the government decided to broaden its vaccination campaign by enabling everyone above the age of 18 to be vaccinated.