COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker: Over 24.55 lakh jabs given on December 5

A healthcare worker gives a dose of the COVISHIELD vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), manufactured by Serum Institute of India, to a farmer in his field, during a door-to-door vaccination drive in Banaskantha district in the western state of Gujarat. (Representative image: Reuters)

India administered more than 24.55 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, taking the vaccination count beyond 127.93 crore amid the potential threat of Omicron variant of coronavirus, according to the Union Health Ministry update on December 6.

On the 324th day of the nationwide vaccination drive, over 8.71 lakh people received their first shot and 15.84 lakh their second dose.

The vaccination drive accelerated over the past few weeks. It took the country 85 days to give the first 10 crore doses, the next 10 crore took 45 days and, in another 29 days, India touched the 30-crore mark.

In the following 24 days, the count reached 40 crore and crossed the 50-crore mark after 20 days on August 6. By September 13, 75 crore vaccine doses were given. The biggest jump, however, came on September 17, when more than 2.1 crore shots were given in one day.

On October 21, India scripted history with cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country surpassing the 100-crore milestone.

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

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 next phase started on March 1 for people over 60 years and those aged 45 and above with specified comorbid conditions. From April 1, the drive was expanded to include all aged 45 and above. The government decided to expand the vaccination drive by allowing everyone above 18 to be vaccinated from May 1.

Some major developments related to COVID-19 vaccination:

- Over 50 percent of India's eligible adult population is now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on December 5 as the cumulative vaccine doses administered in the country exceeded 127.61 crore. According to Union Health Ministry officials, over 84.8 percent of the adult population in India has been administered the first dose.

- The Union Territory of Puducherry has made it mandatory for all persons to get the COVID-19 vaccine with an aim to achieve cent per cent coverage and said those skipping it would face penal action under law. The Director of Health and Family Welfare Services G Sriramulu has stated this in an order and said it would come into immediate effect.

Also read | NTAGI to consider administering 'additional' dose of COVID-19 vaccine to immunocompromised people

- A total of 9,01,28,038 anti-coronavirus vaccine doses have been administered in Madhya Pradesh till now, including 1,43,734 on the day.

- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday voiced hope for a quick approval of the country's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine by the World Health Organization, saying the move is essential for expanding its global supplies.

Vaccination count for states/UTs: