India Covid Vaccination: India began the world's biggest vaccine drive in January.
India saw a new vaccine record as it surpassed the United States in total number of doses administered so far. While India has so far given 32.36 crore doses, the US has given 32.33 crore doses. This comes amid a dip in fresh Covid cases.
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India registered 46,148 fresh Covid cases in the last 24 hours and 979 deaths, taking the overall cases to 3,02,79,331 and the total number of deaths to 3.96 lakh. The drop in daily cases in the last few weeks comes after a tough battle against the second wave.
Nearly 5.6 per cent of the adults in India have so far been vaccinated with both the doses. However, in the United States, over 40 per cent of the country's population has received both the doses, according to news agency Reuters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi this morning tweeted: "India's vaccination drive keeps gaining momentum! Congrats to all those who are driving this effort. Our commitment remains vaccines for all, free for all (sic)"
India administered over 3 crore, 91 lakh vaccine doses in the last one week after a new policy was brought into force. "This milestone vaccination figure outnumbers the population of many countries like Canada, Malaysia & Saudi Arabia," a tweet by the Health Ministry read.
After the government was prodded by the Supreme Court over various concerns related to vaccination of the country's huge population, the centre on Saturday told the court that it expects to get over 188 crore doses of vaccines by the end of this year to vaccinate all adults."51.6 crore doses will be made available for administration by July 31, leaving a requirement of approximately 135 crore vaccine doses," the centre told the court in an affidavit.
Active cases currently constitute 1.89 per cent of total cases. "Daily recoveries continue to outnumber the daily new cases for the 46th consecutive day," the government has said. Daily positivity rate stood at 2.94 per cent this morning; it has been less than 5 per cent for 21 consecutive days.
Delta Plus variant - believed to be much more infectious - is present in 12 countries, the government has said. "This virus is very localised as of now in our country. It is isolated and cultured at ICMR-NIV," the centre has said. South Africa and Australia have hardened lockdown over Delta variant surge.
PM Modi, while addressing his monthly radio programme - "Mann Ki Baat" on Sunday, urged people to shed vaccine hesitancy. "My mother is almost hundred years old, she has taken both vaccines too. Please do not believe any rumours relating to vaccines," the Prime Minister said.
India's vaccination drive also faces another challenge - gender gap. 54 per cent men have received the vaccine compared to 46 per cent women -- a gap of 8 per cent. "The gender imbalance needs to be corrected in the days ahead," Dr VK Paul, chairperson of National Expert Group, said last week.
Delhi on Sunday recorded less than 100 new cases for the third straight day. The national capital is gradually unlocking. Gyms and yoga centres have been allowed to reopen from today at 50 per cent capacity. Fifty guests are now allowed at weddings.
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