India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage exceeds 156.76 cr

India on Sunday completed its one year of COVID-19 vaccination drive and during this period, over 156.76 crore vaccine doses have been administered.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has said that 1,56,76,15,454 vaccine doses have been administered to eligible population as per provisional reports till 7 am on Sunday.

It also stated that this has been achieved through 1,68,19,744 sessions.

In the last 24 hours, more than 66 lakh (66,21,395) vaccine doses were administered.

As per government data, 43,19,278 precautionary doses have been adminstered so far. Of these, 17,92,784 doses were given to healthcare workers, 14,45,001 to frontline workers and 10,81,493 to those above 60 years with coomorbidities.

In the age groups 15-18 years, 3,38,50,912 vaccine doses have been administered.

Meanwhile, with India achieving completing an year of its vaccination drive, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya called it "the most successful in the world."

India commenced its nationwide COVID vaccination drive on January 16, 2021. Starting initially by inoculating vaccines to healthcare workers, it was then expanded to frontline workers, followed by people above 60 years of age and those above 45 years with comorbidities on March 1 last year. Later it was also expanded to all above 45 years of age on April 1, 2021 and then those above 18 years of age on May 1, 2021.

The vaccination drive for those between the age group 15-18 was started on January 3, 2022 and for administering the precautionary doses to the healthcare workers, frontline workers and sixty plus individuals then commenced on January 10 this year.

On January 3, India approved COVID-19 vaccines Covishield and Covaxin for emergency use.

India's first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin has been developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Virology (NIV).

Oxford AstraZeneca's Covishield is manufactured by Serum Institute of India.

India is currently using Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik V (developed by Gamaleya Research Institute, Russia), for its vaccination drive.

Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has also granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to three other vaccines by Moderna, Johnson and Johnson and Zydus Cadila.

( With inputs from ANI )

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