COVID vaccine: Centre claims India fastest country to administer 13 crore doses as nation reports 2.95 lakh new cases

New Delhi: India took only 95 days to administer 13 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine, the fastest country to do so, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday. The US took 101 days to administer 13 crore doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, while China took 109 days to cross the same number, it said. The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has reached 13,01,19,310 with 29,90,197 vaccine doses being given in a span of 24 hours, according to data updated at 7 am. Eight states – Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala – 59.33 percent of the total doses given so far in the country. The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on 16 January with healthcare workers (HCWs) getting inoculated and vaccination of frontline workers (FLWs) starting from 2 February. The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from 1 March for those over 60 years of age and for people aged 45 and above with specified comorbid conditions. India launched vaccination for all people aged more than 45 from 1 April. Meanwhile, the government on Monday decided to expand its vaccination drive by allowing everyone above 18 eligible to be vaccinated from 1 May.