COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker: Over 2.6 lakh people get the jab on March 28, 6.05 crore shots given so far

Representative image: Reuters

As many as 2,60,653 doses of coronavirus vaccines were administered in India on March 28, Union Health Ministry's latest provisional report has said, even as infections continue to spike in the country.

With this, more than 6.05 crore beneficiaries have been vaccinated for COVID-19 in the country so far. On March 28, 2,18,798 beneficiaries were given the first shot, while 41,855 healthcare and frontline workers received their second doses, the report said.

The second dose is being given to those who have completed 28 days after receiving the first shot. The emergency use approval granted by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) allows four-six weeks for the second dose to be administered.

The government recently revised the gap for the Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield, being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, to six-eight weeks but the interval for 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 can get the vaccine. From April 1, vaccination will be open to everyone above the age of 45.

Here are all developments related to the COVID-19 vaccine in India:

> The Delhi Prisons Department has set up a COVID-19 vaccination centre inside Tihar Jail to vaccinate eligible inmates, officials said on March 28. A total of 326 inmates in Delhi's prisons are above 60 years, and over 300 are in the 45-59 age bracket with comorbidities. These two categories are eligible for vaccination in the ongoing nationwide drive.

> Maharashtra's tally of beneficiaries who have received COVID-19 shots so far has reached 57,62,601, a Health department official said on the day.

> The Indian Army gifted one lakh doses of India-made anti-COVID-19 vaccines to the Nepal Army on the day, reported news agency PTI citing sources. The vaccines brought on Air India aircraft were handed over by the Indian Army officials to their counterparts from the Nepal Army at the Tribhuvan International Airport. Indian Army has gifted one lakh doses of India-made COVID19 vaccines to Nepal Army and it will be helpful for the force, sources from the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu said.

> The All India Students' Association called for free vaccination of students, teachers, and support staff of all educational institutions "to save another academic year from destruction" on the day. The student body also demanded that all educational institutions be reopened with adequate safety measures so that physical classes can resume.

> Terming Odisha government's allegation of "discretion and erratic" supply of COVID-19 vaccines to the state as "not tenable", the Centre on the day said that vaccine stocks will not be a limiting factor for the acceleration of the pace of vaccination in the state.

Here is the state-wise vaccination count:

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