NEW DELHI – More than eight million people have received a vaccine against Covid-19 in India on the first day of free vaccination for the entire elderly population, said the Health Ministry in a statement, as reported by Sputnik.
“The new phase of universalisation of Covid-19 vaccination commenced from today (yesterday).
“In a landmark achievement, nearly 8.5 million Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered on the first day of the new phase of vaccination.”
The government plans to accelerate the pace and scope of its nationwide immunisation programme, providing free vaccine supply to Indian regions procured by the regions themselves, and private hospitals.
India still occupies the second place in the world in the number of people infected with the coronavirus, having registered 29.9 million cases and more than 388,000 deaths, so far.
The so-called Delta strain – first identified in the South Asian nation and is more contagious and resistant to human immunity – is reportedly becoming the dominant one in the world, provoking new waves of infection in different countries. – Bernama, June 22, 2021
