COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker: 13.9 lakh doses administered in India on June 6

India rolled out the third phase of its COVID-19 vaccination drive for those in the 18-44 age group on May 1. (Representative image)

More than 13.90 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered in India on June 6, the Union Health Ministry's latest provisional report suggested. With that, the cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country reached 23.27 crore.

On the 142nd day of the vaccination drive (June 6), 13.11 lakh beneficiaries received their first shot and 79,755 people were given their second dose.

The government has revised the gap between the two doses for the Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield, being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, to 12-16 weeks. However, the interval for the second dose of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin remains unchanged.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the nationwide vaccination drive on January 16, with healthcare workers at the frontline of India's COVID-19 battle getting their first jabs. The country began the second phase of the vaccination drive from March 1 in which everyone above 60 years of age and those over 45 years with comorbidities could start getting the vaccine.

From April 1, vaccination was opened for everyone above the age of 45 with or without comorbidities.

India rolled out the third phase of its COVID-19 vaccination drive for those in the 18-44 age group on May 1. The central government has liberalised the vaccination drive to allow states, private hospitals, and industrial establishments to procure the doses directly from manufacturers.

Registration on CoWIN platform for the third phase began on April 28 and is mandatory for the 18-44 age group.

Here are key developments related to the COVID-19 vaccination process:

> Uttar Pradesh has administered over two crore COVID-19 vaccine doses till now with over 30 lakh jabs given to beneficiaries in the 18-44 age group, the state government said on June 6. So far, 1,66,27,059 people have received the first dose of vaccine while 36,27,433 have received both doses, it said.

> The Haryana cabinet will take a final decision after the state government received an offer from a pharmaceutical company based in Malta to provide up to 60 million doses of Sputnik-V vaccine to the state at a cost of Rs 1,120 per dose, Health Minister Anil Vij said on the day. “We are considering the offer and it will be put up before the state cabinet, which will take a final decision,” Vij told reporters in Ambala.

> Several lawmakers and governors have urged the Biden administration to ensure India receives COVID-19 vaccines and medical aid, saying the crisis in the country is "devastating" and that the US has a responsibility to help its close allies fight the pandemic.

> Tamil Nadu will take steps to again float a global tender for vaccine supply as no companies had bid for it, the period for which ended on June 5, Medical and Family welfare minister M Subramanian said in Udhagamandalam on the day. He said the state had so far received 1.45 crore COVID vaccines and about 39 lakh additional doses are expected to be received by the end of this month.

> More than 1.63 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with the states and UTs to be administered, the Union Health Ministry said on the day. The Centre has so far provided, both through the free of cost and through direct state procurement categories, more than 24 crore vaccine doses (24,60,80,900) to states and UTs.

> Leading hospital chain Manipal Hospitals said on the day that it has collaborated with Dr Reddy's Laboratories to add the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine in its existing vaccine portfolio that consists of Covishield and Covaxin. The roll-out of the Sputnik V vaccine by Manipal Hospitals in Bengaluru is part of the limited pilot soft launch initiated by Dr Reddy's in Hyderabad last month, Manipal Hospitals said in a statement.

Here's the vaccination count for some states:

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