Nearly 73 crore vaccine doses administered in India so far, says Union Health Ministry

NEW DELHI: Nearly 73 crore vaccine doses have been administered in the country so far, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday.

According to a provisional report, more than 56 lakh vaccine doses have been administered till 7 pm on Friday.

The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late in the night, the ministry said.

The vaccination exercise as a tool to protect the most vulnerable population groups in the country from COVID-19 continues to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level, the health ministry said.

Amid the rise in cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on Friday on the Covid situation and vaccination as the government noted high caseloads in states like Kerala and Maharashtra to say that there can be no room for complacency.

Modi reviewed the status of augmentation of bed capacity for pediatric care and of facilities supported under "COVID Emergency Response Package II", and it was noted that states have been advised to redesign and orient primary care and block-level health infrastructure in these areas to manage the situation in rural areas, a statement said.

States are being asked to maintain a buffer stock for drugs used in the management of COVID-19, mucormycosis, MIS-C at the district level, it added.

"It was discussed that across the world, there are countries where the number of active Covid cases continues to remain high. In India too, the figures from states like Maharashtra and Kerala indicate that there can be no room for complacency," the statement said.

However, the weekly positivity was at less than three per cent for the 10th consecutive week, it added.

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