About 50 crore people in the country have been vaccinated and the vaccination programme is going in the right direction, said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
She was addressing the press after visiting a vaccination centre in Chinna Waltair area in Visakhapatnam city on Sunday.
According to Ms. Sitharaman, by July end about 50 crore people in the country have received either the first dose or both the doses of COVID-19 vaccination. Now, the focus is on getting the rest inoculated, she said.
"Initially, we focused on the frontline workers and people above 45 years with or without co morbid conditions. And now the focus is on 18-plus age group and women with small children,” she said.
Ms. Sitharaman also said that the vaccination drive will go on till the entire population is vaccinated and efforts are on to increase the production of vaccines.
“We will shortly have two more vaccine brands and that should iron out the shortage, if any,” she said.
She also pointed out that every State has been receiving the vaccines free of cost and the supply would continue.
Ms. Sitharaman later left for KD Peta to visit the ‘Samadhi’ of revolutionary leader Alluri Sitharama Raju, who led the Rampa Rebellion of 1922.
She will also visit Thallapalem to review the distribution of rice through PDS under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.
