India achieved a major milestone in its vaccination program against
COVID-19 as the cumulative vaccine doses administered in the country
surpassed the 100-crore mark on Thursday
Hailing the vaccination landmark as a triumph of Indian science,
enterprise and collective spirit of 130 crore Indians, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi said the country has scripted history
The prime minister also visited the vaccination centre at the Ram
Manohar Lohia Hospital here after the milestone was achieved and
interacted with hospital officials, staff and some of the beneficiaries
He was accompanied by the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.?
In a tweet, Mandaviya congratulated the country on achieving the feat,
and said it was the result of the able leadership of Prime Minister
Modi, whom he described as a visionary
Congratulating the country on the vaccination landmark, Dr Poonam
Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO, South-East Asia, said it was
not possible without strong political leadership
“Huge congratulations to India for marking yet another milestone- a
billion COVID-19 vaccine doses administered. This extraordinary feat in
a short span was not possible without strong leadership, inter-sectoral
convergence, dedicated efforts of the entire health and frontline
workforce and the people themselves,” she said
India’s progress must be viewed in the context of the country’s
commendable commitment and efforts to ensure that these life-saving
vaccines are accessible globally, she said
According to official sources, over 75 per cent of India’s all eligible
adult population has been administered at least the first dose and
around 31 per cent has received both the doses of the vaccine
The UNICEF India also congratulated the Government of India on reaching
the milestone while welcoming?strides that India has made in recent
months to ramp up vaccinations.? ?
This is a tremendous achievement, given the logistical complexity of
administering 1 billion doses in less than a year, in a country as vast
and diverse as India. As Indian families recover from the recent
devastating COVID-19 wave, for many this milestone means hope,” the
UNICEF India said
Over the last few months, we have seen health workers working
round-the-clock to accelerate vaccination coverage in every part of the
country. Many travelled across difficult terrains to vaccinate people,
including in the most remote and hard-to-reach areas. We salute the
commitment and hard work of every one of these health workers. Without
them, and the dedication of the scientists, doctors, manufacturers,
policy makers and health managers, we would not have been able to
achieve this milestone,” it added
The top five states which have administered the highest number of doses
are Uttar Pradesh followed by Maharashtra, West Bengal, Gujarat and
Madhya Pradesh
Mandaviya had on Wednesday appealed to all those who are eligible to get
inoculated without delay and contribute to the historic vaccination
journey of India
A series of events have been lined up to mark the milestone including
launch of a song by singer Kailash Kher and an audio-visual film at the
Red Fort.??
To mark the completion of administering of 100 crore COVID-19 vaccine
doses, the largest khadi tricolour in the country, weighing around 1,400
kg, will be displayed at the Red Fort on Thursday, official sources said
The same tricolour with dimensions 225 feet by 150 feet was unfurled on
Gandhi Jayanti in Leh on October 2
The Archaeological Survey of India will light up 100 of its heritage
monuments in colours of the tricolour to mark?the milestone?which will
be a tribute to health professionals, frontline workers, scientists,
vaccine manufacturers and the citizens of the country who bravely fought
the pandemic
SpiceJet will unveil a special livery at the Delhi airport to celebrate
the 100 crore vaccination milestone.The Union Health Minister, Civil
Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh will
be present on the occasion
Mandaviya had earlier said that announcements will be made on airplanes,
ships, metros and at railway stations when India achieves its target of
administering 100 crore doses
“After 100 crore doses are administered, we will go in? mission? mode to
ensure that those who have taken their first dose take their second dose
too to ensure they are protected against COVID-19,” Mandaviya had
earlier said.?
India took 85 days to touch the 10-crore vaccination mark, 45 more days
to cross the 20-crore mark and 29 more days to reach the 30-crore mark,
according to the Union Health Ministry data
The country took 24 days to reach the 40-crore mark from 30-crore doses
and then 20 more days to surpass the 50-crore vaccination mark on August
6.It then took 76 days to go past the 100-crore mark
The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 with
health care workers (HCWs) getting inoculated in the first phase. The
vaccination of frontline workers (FLWs) started from February 2
The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from March 1 for people
over 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified
co-morbid conditions.
The country launched vaccination for all people aged over 45 years from
April 1
The government then decided to expand its vaccination drive by allowing
all above 18 to be vaccinated from May 1.
