Ministry of Health is planning to celebrate the 1 billion covid doses mark along with PM Modi’s achievement of being in the system of government for 20 years (13 as CM of Gujrat & 7 as PM of India).
India reaches the mark of 7.4 million doses of vaccination on Friday, a total of 848 million vaccination has been done across India, according to health ministry data till Friday night.
The Union health ministry is planning to celebrate India’s 1 billion coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccine doses mark by early October – a milestone that is likely to coincide with Narendra Modi’s 20 years as the head of a government (13years as CM of Gujrat & 7 years as PM of India).
People involved in the preparation said on condition of anonymity that the ideas are being floated among senior functionaries to mark the occasion include, among others, felicitating the 100 beneficiaries who took the shot or those who participated in clinical trials.
“India is conducting the largest vaccination drive globally, and it will be a momentous occasion when we complete administering one billion vaccine shots which is more than the population of some countries.
Therefore, it only fits to celebrate the occasion as several agencies and people across the country have worked hard to make this happen,” one of the officials in the ministry said.
“Several interesting ideas are being floated such as whether to felicitate Covid warriors, or first 100 beneficiaries who took the shot, or those having participated in clinical trials among others or all of them on occasion,” a second government functionary said.
Approximately 940 million adults who are eligible for shots constitute 67% of people (626.7 million people) who have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and about 23.6% (221.5 million people) have got their both jabs in the drive that started on January 16.
The last five days were exceptionally tremendous for the vaccination drive. According to reports, around 9 million vaccine doses are administered. If this rate continues, India will touch the 1 billion dose mark in the second week of this October.
Last week, on September 17, India celebrated the 71st birthday of its Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a vaccination marathon. India set a world vaccination record for a single day by conducting 25 million doses on this day.
The Opposition alleged this record was a personal milestone for the PM. It is a possibility that to commemorate the achievement; a small offline event will happen.
If the rate of the last five days’ vaccination drive continues(7.5million/day), then all Indians are likely to get a full vaccination certificate by early February.
This situation would mean that, unless the daily rate goes to 10.4 million doses per day, India will miss the December 31 target set by the Union government in a statement to the Supreme Court.
It means that India will miss the target of December 31 set by the Union government. At least 10.4 million/day must be the rate of vaccination drive If the Union government does not want to miss the deadline.
So far, six states and Union territories, namely Lakshadweep, Chandigarh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Sikkim, got their 1st dose mark.
Four states and Union territories gave the first dose to at least 90% of the adults – Kerala, Uttarakhand, Ladakh, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
At the bottom end of the spectrum lie Jharkhand (first doses administered to 52.9% of adults), West Bengal (53.7% of adults have received a single amount), and Uttar Pradesh (55.2%).
It is a fact that the vaccination rate has increased manifold over the last five months – from an average of 1.9 million doses per day in May to 8.14 million doses a day in September.
We hope government completes its target of vaccination by December 31. Vaccination is the only way to defeat Covid.
