‘Landmark 1 billionth covid vaccine dose to be administered next week’
New Delhi, Oct 13: India will cross the landmark of one billion, or 100 crore, COVID-19 vaccine doses next week, either on Monday or Tuesday, top Health Ministry sources have said, calling this a “great achievement”.
Till Wednesday evening around 96.7 crore doses have been administered. According to the CoWIN dashboard, around 30.25 lakh doses have been administered so far today (Wednesday), with more than 50 per cent of those (around 16.8 lakh) being the second dose. So far around 73 per cent India’s 18+ population had received at least one dose, sources added.
Around 30 per cent have been given both doses.
Last month the centre – to celebrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 71st birthday – administered over 2.5 crore doses in a day; that was the fourth time over one crore doses were given in a day.
Vaccine availability – which earlier this year was a contentious issue that saw states clash with the centre over inadequate supplies – has largely stabilised as new manufacturing facilities come online.
The Serum Institute has told the centre it will provide 22 crore doses (of Covishield) this month.
Sources said Bharat Biotech is expected to provide six crore Covaxin doses, and around 60 lakh doses of Zydus Cadila’s three-dose DNA vaccine – ZyCoV-D – are also expected.
On the subject of emergency use approval for Covaxin from the World Health Organization – pending since additional data was submitted late last month – sources said a decision is expected shortly.
The lack of WHO approval means Covaxin is not recognised by some countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, which makes international travel difficult for those who have been given that vaccine; they are required to pay and take Covid tests or quarantine on arrival.
Last week WHO has said a “final decision” would be taken soon.
Sources pointed out said Covaxin has been cleared by 11 other nations – Iran, Guyana, Nicaragua, Mauritius, Paraguay, Nepal, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Mexico, Philippines, and Botswana.
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