Thu 21 October 2021:
In a landmark achievement, India’s cumulative COVID-19 vaccination coverage one billion doses on Thursday. A total of one billion vaccine doses have been administered so far to eligible beneficiaries, as per the Cowin portal at 9:47 am today.
“India achieves the major milestone of ‘one billion’ vaccinations,” India’s Health Ministry said in a statement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country has “scripted history.”
“We are witnessing the triumph of Indian science, enterprise and collective spirit of 130 crore (1.3 billion) Indians,” he tweeted.
Today, when India has achieved a #VaccineCentury, I went to a vaccination centre at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. The vaccine has brought pride and protection in the lives of our citizens. pic.twitter.com/MUObjQKpga
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 21, 2021
Congratulating India on crossing 1 billion vaccinations, Modi added: “Gratitude to our doctors, nurses and all those who worked to achieve this feat.”
India’s COVID-19 vaccination drive was launched on January 16, 2021. Initially, the vaccination was opened for Health Care Workers (HCWs) only.
From February 2, front-line workers were made eligible for vaccination. These included State and Central Police personnel, Armed Force Personnel, Home Guards, Civil Defence & Disaster Management Volunteers, Municipal workers, Prison Staff, PRI Staff and Revenue workers involved in containment and surveillance, Railway Protection Force and election Staff.
Modi visited the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in the capital New Delhi as the country crossed the 1 billion mark in its vaccination drive.
According to the official statistics, around 75% of the eligible people in the country have got one dose of the vaccine, while around 30% have been fully vaccinated.
On Thursday, the ministry figures revealed that 18,454 new cases were registered in the last 24 hours, taking the total mark to over 34.1 million. There were 160 new fatalities that raised the infection-linked death toll to 452,811.
“Congratulations, PM Narendra Modi, the scientists, health workers & people of India, on your efforts to protect the vulnerable populations from COVID19 and achieve vaccine equity targets,” tweets Tedros A. Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization.
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.”
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