PM Modi hails India\'s 200 crore COVID vaccination feat

New Delhi: India crossed the milestone of administering 200 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses at around Sunday noon, almost one-and-a-half years after starting the drive in January 2021. Prime Minister Narendra Modi extolled the vaccination milestone, celebrating the world’s largest and longest-running inoculation campaign.

Calling India’s vaccination drive "unparalleled in scale and speed", Mr Modi, in his tweet, said, "India creates history again! Congrats to all Indians on crossing the special figure of 200 crore vaccine doses. Proud of those who contributed to making India's vaccination drive unparalleled in scale and speed. This has strengthened the global fight against COVID-19."

In a subsequent tweet, Mr Modi added, "Throughout the rollout of the vaccine, the people of India have shown remarkable faith in science. Our doctors, nurses, frontline workers, scientists, innovators and entrepreneurs have played a key role in ensuring a safer planet. I appreciate their spirit and determination."

Soon after the landmark was achieved at 12.16 pm, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted, "17th July 2022, a day to remember forever. #200CroreVaccinations… Powered by the spirit of Jan-Bhagidari, India's vaccination journey under PM@NarendraModiJi's inspiring leadership has emerged as a mighty epitome of Sabka Prayas. This extraordinary achievement will be etched in the history!"

The milestone in the country’s grand vaccination drive thus far comes at a time when there is a minor surge being observed in a few states and the booster dose has not really picked up.

India is currently reporting nearly 20,000 new Covid cases in a day, with states such as Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Odisha contributing a majority of the new cases. And 90 per cent of the country’s population is still due its third or precaution Covid-19 vaccine dose.

With 20,528 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day, India's tally of Covid-19 cases on Sunday rose to 4,37,50,599 while the active cases increased to 1,43,449. The death toll climbed to 5,25,709 with 49 new fatalities logged in the last 24 hours. The active cases comprise 0.33 per cent of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.47 per cent.

It took 278 days since the start of the vaccination drive for India to cross the first milestone of 100-crore doses on October 21, last year. The country achieved the 200 crore milestone in a slightly shorter period of 269 days. It had crossed 150 crore doses on January 7 this year.

The administration of 200 crore doses includes 101.9 crore doses as the first jab, while 92.6 crore doses as the second and 5.49 crore as precaution dose. Out of the 200 crore doses, the Covishield vaccine was used for 159.44 crore doses, Covaxin for 33.48 crore and Corbevax for 6.4 crore doses. Covovax and Sputnik-V are also being administered to the eligible population.

As many as 71 per cent of vaccine doses have been administered in Covid-19 vaccination centres in rural areas and 29 per cent in urban areas. Also, 48.9 per cent doses have been administered to women while 51.5 per cent to men.

The COWIN database showed that 27.90 crore doses have been administered to senior citizens above 60 years of age, while 111.39 crore doses were administered to those aged 18–44 years. The age group of 45-60 years received 41.57 crore doses and those in the 12-17 age group received 17.49 crore doses.

As per the health ministry data, 98 per cent of the adult population has received at least one dose, while 90 per cent have been fully vaccinated. The data showed that the youngsters in the 15–18 age group have also been vaccinated with the first dose, while 68 per cent have got two doses. A total of 81 per cent in the 12–14 age group have received their first jab, while 51 per cent are fully vaccinated.

In Andhra Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Lakshadweep, Chandigarh, Telangana and Goa, 100 per cent of the 12 years plus eligible population is fully vaccinated.

The top five states where the highest number of doses have been administered are Uttar Pradesh (34,41,93,641), Maharashtra (17,05,59,447), West Bengal (14,40,33,794), Bihar (13,98,52,042) and Madhya Pradesh (12,13,15,911).