Tag: coronavirus vaccination

  • Covid-19: Only 4.4 crore jabs administered in May 

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  Despite Covid-19 vaccinations being thrown open to all above the age of 18 on May 1, there has been a 40% decline in the average daily number of vaccinations administered this month compared to the previous month. 

    An analysis of the government data by this newspaper showed that a total of 8,91,01,433 vaccine doses were administered in April to people from various age groups across the country, at an average rate of 29,70,047 doses per day. In comparison, between May 1 and 25, only 4,40,24,631 jabs were administered—an average rate of 17,60,985 shots per day. In other words, this is 40.7% lower than the average daily vaccination rate recorded in April. 

    The figures by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare meanwhile underlined that India has vaccinated 20 crore people as of Wednesday morning—130 days after India began vaccinating its people against Covid-19. More than 34% of the population above the age of 45 has received at least one dose of a vaccine to date. India’s adult population is about 94 crore while the vaccine production capacity is about eight crore doses per month.

    As of now, India has approved three vaccines—Covaxin, Covishield, and Russia’s Sputnik V—against Covid-19. Efforts to procure other vaccines from abroad are yet to yield any concrete results.  It is unclear why only 4.4 crore vaccine doses were administered so far this month despite the production capacity far exceeding this number.

    Meanwhile, experts stress a quick expansion of the vaccination drive is important to reduce the number of deaths caused by Covid-19. “The more people in the vulnerable groups or people with risk factors being unvaccinated would have an impact on the mortality,” said Oommen John, a public health researcher. “Evidence from elsewhere indicates that vaccination coverage has an impact on transmission,” John said.

  • Over 16 lakh beneficiaries given COVID-19 vaccine across India: Union Health Ministry

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Over 16 lakh healthcare workers across the country have received COVID-19 vaccine jabs till the evening of the ninth day of the nationwide immunisation drive, as per provisional reports, the Union health ministry said on Sunday.

    The ministry said that 31,466 beneficiaries were vaccinated on Sunday till 7:30 pm in five states — Haryana (907), Karnataka (2,472), Punjab (1,007), Rajasthan (24,586) and Tamil Nadu (2,494) — through 693 sessions.

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    “The cumulative number of healthcare workers vaccinated against COVID-19 has crossed 16 lakh (16,13,667) till 7.30 pm today through 28,613 sessions, as per the provisional report,” the ministry said, adding that the final report will be completed by late in the night.

    “Only 10 adverse events following immunisation have been reported till 7.30 pm on the ninth day of the vaccination drive,” it stated.

    The inoculation drive was launched on January 16 with over three crore healthcare and frontline workers prioritised to get the jabs initially. 

    The total number of beneficiaries, who were vaccinated till 7.30 pm on Sunday since the launch of the drive, include 1,47,030 in Andhra Pradesh, 76,125 in Bihar, 53,529 in Kerala, 1,91,443 in Karnataka, 61,720 in Tamil Nadu, 25,811 in Delhi, 78,466 in Gujarat and 84,505 in West Bengal, according to provisional reports.

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  • Madhya Pradesh CM Chouhan says will not get vaccinated now, focus should be on priority groups

    By ANI
    BHOPAL: As India gears up for the world’s largest vaccination programme, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said he will take the coronavirus vaccine later as he wants priority groups to get the jab first.

    While speaking in a meeting with senior officials of the state, CM Chouhan said, “I have decided that I will not get vaccinated for now, first it should be administered to others. My turn should come afterwards, we have to work to ensure that priority groups are administered with the vaccine.”

    He also directed officials to prepare a secure system for the vaccination drive.

    The Drugs regulator has approved two coronavirus vaccines so far, including the indigenous vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech and ICMR, which has been named Covaxin, and the one manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII), Covishield.

    On Saturday, several states have conducted dry runs in preparation for the massive inoculation drive.