COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker: 28.7 lakh doses administered in India on June 3

On the 139th day of the COVID-19 vaccination drive (June 3), 26.37 lakh beneficiaries received their first shot and 2.37 lakh people were given their second dose. (Representative image: Reuters)

More than 28.75 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered in India on June 3, the Union Health Ministry's latest provisional report suggested. With that, the cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country reached 22.41 crore.

On the 139th day of the vaccination drive (June 3), 26.37 lakh beneficiaries received their first shot and 2.37 lakh 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:

The Uttarakhand government will establish coordination between private hospitals and industrial units to speed up the campaign of vaccinating people of 18-44 age group against COVID-19, officials said on June 3. Director General, Health, Tripti Bahuguna held a meeting with representatives of industrial units and private hospitals in Dehradun on the day to discuss how to coordinate between them to give momentum to the vaccination process, they said.

US Vice President Kamala Harris made her first phone call to PM Modi on the day to inform him the decision of the Biden Administration to send tens of thousands of doses of life-saving COVID-19 vaccines to India. Vice President Harris spoke this morning to the prime minister, Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei and Prime Minister Keith Rowley, Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

The Gujarat government said on the day that it has decided to expand its COVID-19 vaccination programme for the 18-44 age group to the remaining 23 districts of the state starting June 4, from the 10 districts where it is currently on.

A special campaign for anti-coronavirus vaccination of transgender, elderly people living in old-age homes and divyangs (persons with disabilities) residing in Noida and Greater Noida would be held on June 7, officials said on the day. The vaccination drive would be held at the auditorium of the Vikas Bhawan in Greater Noida, Gautam Buddh Nagar District Social Welfare Officer Shailendra Singh said.

A remote circle in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh, bordering China, has created a record of sort as almost all the people in the 45 years plus age group of the area have been administered COVID-19 vaccine, an official said on the day.

An undeterred BJP MP Gautam Gambhir said on the day that he will organise free COVID vaccination camps, hours after the Delhi government's drug controller informed the Delhi High Court that his foundation has been found guilty of unauthorisedly stocking and distributing Fabiflu medicine to coronavirus patients.

Here's the vaccination count for some states:

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