One Billion Vaccinated !!! India scripted history in its effort to combat COVID-19 pandemic. Today, the nation reached incredible One billion Vacination mark. It achieved the COVID-19 vaccinations milestone this morning. The government wants all of India’s 944 million adults to get vaccinated this year.
The inoculation programme has been speeding up since its launch, recording 25 million vaccinations in a day on September 17 (Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday), which translated to 15.62 lakh doses per hour, or 26,000 doses per minute or 434 doses every second.
Three-quarters of adults in the country of 1.3 billion people have had one shot and around 30 percent are fully vaccinated, the government says.
COVID-19, One Billion Vaccinated in India
Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls ” The Triumph of Indian Science”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited the RML hospital in Delhi to mark the milestone, congratulated the country and called it “the triumph of Indian science, enterprise and collective spirit of 130 crore Indians”.
The five states that have administered the highest number of doses are Uttar Pradesh, followed by Maharashtra, West Bengal, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh.
VK Paul, NITI Aayog member and chief of the government’s vaccine panel, said it was remarkable to reach the 1 billion dose mark in just over nine months since the vaccination program started in India.
Dr Paul, stressing the need for consistency, pointed out that even though the first dose has been given to over 75 percent of adults, 25 percent remain unvaccinated.
Covaxin Maker Dr. Krishna Ella says it is a unified effort by every Indian
“Reaching the 1 billion mark of COVID-19 vaccinations in just nine-months is a remarkable achievement for India. Bharat Biotech is proud to have contributed to this historic landmark. This is a unified effort of the Government, vaccine manufacturers, healthcare workers and all the vaccinated citizens of India, making it a true success story of Atmanirbharta.” — Dr. Krishna Ella, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Biotech.
WHO’s Regional Director, South-East Asia, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh said that this “extraordinary feat” was not possible in a short span without “strong political leadership, inter-sectoral convergence, dedicated efforts of the entire health & frontline workforce.”
Daily vaccine shots have averaged 5 million this month, a fifth of September’s peak, though states are sitting on record stocks of more than 100 million as the domestic output of Serum Institute of India’s Covishield vaccine soars.
Covaxin Maker Suchitra Ella, Joint Managing Director says
“We thank the PMO, MOH, NRA, ICMR, academic collaborators, industry partners, stakeholders, suppliers & employees for enabling us to maximize our efforts & deliver COVAXIN successfully to India’s vaccination program.” — Mrs. Suchitra Ella, Joint Managing Director, Bharat Biotech.
To celebrate the record, the government plans announcements over loudspeakers on trains, planes, and ships. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will launch a song by singer Kailash Kher. The largest national flag, weighing around 1,400 kg, will also be raised at the Red Fort, news agency PTI reported.
India’s milestone comes months after a huge spike in cases in April and May, when more than 400,000 infections and 4,000 deaths were reported per day and the country’s health infrastructure was overwhelmed.
India crossed a major milestone on Thursday when the number of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccine doses administered in the country crossed the 100 crore (1 billion) mark. The milestone was achieved half an hour after 10am.
