New Delhi: India has administered 179.33 crore covid-19 vaccine doses till Wednesday, with over 18.67 lakh people receiving jabs in the last 24 hours, according to a statement from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
“Over 1,04,02,292 healthcare workers have received their first dose, approximately 99,78,958 inoculated with 2nd dose and 42,68,734 with precaution doses. Similarly, approximately 1,84,10,832 frontline workers have been administered with first dose, 1,74,66,501 with second dose and 64,41,480 have received precaution doses respectively," the statement said.
This comes in the backdrop of multiple vaccines being granted permission to conduct phase 3 clinical trials as booster dose. Recently, an expert committee of the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) granted permission to Serum Institute of India’s Covovax for conducting phase 3 clinical trials in India for the booster dose against covid-19. Prior to this, the country’s top drug regulator had given his nod for Covovax for restricted emergency use in adult population.
Around 5.55 crore adolescents under the age group of 15-18 years have been inoculated with the first dose, while 3.2 crore adolescents have got the second dose. Also, 55.285 crore young adults in the age group of 18-44 years have received first dose and 45.168 crore young adults have received the second dose. Around 20.245 crore people between the age of 45-59 years have received the first shot and 18.187 crore people have administered with the second dose.
Also, the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of Central Drugs Control Standard Organization (CDCSO) recently recommended Covovax for emergency use authorization (EUA) for 12-17-year-olds, as reported by Mint earlier. At present, only Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin is used to immunize teenagers between 15 and 18.
While 12.654 crore elderly people above 60 years of age have received first dose, 11.326 crore elderly have got their second dose. Also, 2.08 crore elderly have got their precautionary dose.
The health ministry said that vaccination has played a key role in the fight against Covid-19. However, people are advised to strictly adhere to the covid appropriate behavior.
The Subject Expert Committee of India’s drug controller has also recommended allowing Dr Reddy’s Laboratories to conduct phase 3 trials of Sputnik Light vaccine for covid-19 as a booster dose. In September 2020, Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy’s Laboratories partnered Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) for conducting clinical trials for Sputnik’s vaccine and for its distribution rights in India in the wake of covid-19 pandemic. Last month, the apex drug regulator had also granted emergency use authorisation permission to Dr Reddy’s single-shot Sputnik Light vaccine in India under some regulatory provisions.
So far, India has reported 4.3 crore COVID-19 cases in India and 5.15 lakh deaths. India's active caseload currently stands at 46,962 with 0.11%. More than 4,575 new cases have been reported, while 7,416 patients have recovered from the infection in the last 24 hours.
