COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker: Over 83.88 lakh jabs given on November 25

On the 314th day of the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive, over 26.28 lakh people received their first shot and 57.59 lakh their second dose. (Representative image: Reuters)

India has administered more than 83.88 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, taking the vaccination count beyond 120.27 crore, according to the Union Health Ministry update on November 26.

On the 314th day of the nationwide vaccination drive, over 26.28 lakh people received their first shot and 57.59 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 in India:

- Himachal Pradesh is likely to vaccinate 100 percent of its eligible adult population with the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by next week, state Health Secretary Amitabh Avasthi said on November 25. Himachal Pradesh is close to administering the second dose of its vaccination to 90 per cent of the population as on date, he told news agency PTI.

- Tamil Nadu vaccinated 12,01,832 people against COVID-19 in the 11th mega vaccination campaign held across the state on the day. A total of 4,52,969 people received the first dose while 7,48,863 people received the second jab. With this, 77.02 percent of the population has received the first dose and 41.60 percent second, an official release said.

- The entire targeted population (18-plus age group) of 3.95 crore in the state would be fully covered under the COVID-19 vaccination programme by the end of March 2022, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said in Amaravati on the day. So far, 3,41,53,000 people (87 percent) were administered the first dose of coronavirus vaccine while 2.39 crore (61 percent) took the second dose as well, the Chief Minister told the state Assembly.

- Over 500 empty vials of COVID-19 vaccine were found scattered around an underground disposal pit at a community health centre in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district, prompting the authorities to order a probe into the incident, an official said on the day. A complaint was lodged with the police after it came to light that some people had broken the lock of the disposal pit at Mauganj community health centre on November 23, Mauganj block medical officer Dr M Siddiqui said.

- The Asian Development Bank has approved a $1.5 billion (around Rs 11,185 crore) loan to India for COVID-19 vaccine procurement.

- Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on the day instructed the Deputy Commissioners of all districts to intensify the COVID-19 vaccination drive to improve state's coverage of second dose. The Chief Minister today held a video conference with Deputy Commissioners of the districts to review the progress of COVID vaccination drive.

Vaccination count for states/UTs: