India Reaches the One Billion Covid-19 Vaccination Milestone

Today, the country has achieved a #VaccineCentury, after entering the 100-crore club through aggressive, widespread vaccination drives. Ever since its launch, the vaccination drives across India have been picking up pace, breaking all records on 17th September—on the Prime Minister's birthday—recording 25 million vaccinations in a day. On account of this milestone, Narendra Modi visited a vaccination centre at Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Narendra Modi (@narendramodi)

The whopping one billion number is twice that of the vaccine doses administered in the United States, five times that of Japan, nine times that of Germany, and 10 times that of France. According to official statistics, 75 per cent of the eligible population has received the first dose and eight states and union territories—Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Goa, and Lakshadweep—have achieved 100 per cent first dose coverage. Four states and UTs have more than 90 per cent first dose coverage.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first phase of the pan-India rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination drive on 16th January 2021, and, within nine months of its commencement, the country hit the historic figure. To mark the glorious occasion, the government has planned a series of events, including the launch of a song and an impressive display of the tricolour at the Red Fort in Delhi.

According to the stats, the first 10 crore doses (100 million) were administered in just 85 days since the launch. And, for the first time, drones were used to deliver vaccines to remote corners of the country. Reportedly, this is the fastest vaccination drive in history, as compared to polio and tuberculosis vaccination drives. While one billion doses of the Covid vaccine were administered in just nine months, it took 20 years for the polio drive (1994-2014) and 32 years for the tuberculosis vaccination (1989 and still ongoing) to cross the milestone.