Summary:
New Delhi, Oct 21 (PTI) India achieved a major milestone in its vaccination programme 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 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.