India administered 1 billion doses of vaccine to its citizens, approaching 100% target
Last week, India took a milestone: the country administered 1 billion doses of COVID vaccine to its citizens, according to government data. With this, about 75% of its population has been immunized with at least one dose, or about 708 million people. About a third (30%) of the country has been fully immunized with two injections of the vaccine.
Other countries have achieved similar vaccination rates as a percentage of their population – Canada, for example, stands at around 77%, while Portugal has reached 88% – but India’s success is impressive with its numbers . A billion doses is no small feat.
The country has had a rather difficult experience with this pandemic. But he has also gone to great lengths to fight the virus, and this achievement is part of that trend.
For example, India was among the first countries to issue lockdowns and use contact tracing to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Still, things haven’t gone well for the country, especially since the rise of the Delta variant, and for a long time India has been among the countries with the most cases.
High score
“This achievement belongs to India, to every Indian citizen,” wrote Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. on Twitter (original tweet in Hindi). “I express my gratitude to all the vaccine manufacturing companies in the country, to the workers engaged in the transport of vaccines, to the professionals in the health sector engaged in the development of vaccines. “
India’s very large population, which is currently approaching the 1.4 billion mark, is one of the factors hindering its efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Other populated countries know how difficult it can be to obtain, deliver and administer large numbers of doses of vaccine. Even countries with smaller populations but robust infrastructure and strong economies – like the United States – have had their own hiccups in vaccination efforts.
Apart from this, India’s population is still largely rural, living outside of metropolitan areas. Its economy, while large and diverse, is still primarily people-centered and much less resilient to public health problems than those of more developed countries. Its infrastructure is also relatively undeveloped in many geographic areas.
All of this makes the country’s vaccination milestone all the more impressive.
Against this backdrop, New Delhi is setting itself even more ambitious goals. Government officials aim to have the entire adult Indian population vaccinated by the end of the year. Personally, I encourage them, even if I have reservations about the feasibility of such a goal. Experience in other parts of the world shows us that the last steps towards full vaccination are the most difficult and slow to take.
Yet meeting that target means India will need to administer around 1.8 billion doses. A production target set by the government in June called for the production of 2 billion doses by December. Local manufacturers have reportedly increased production in recent months to achieve this goal.
India started its vaccination program in January this year. So far, only those over 18 can receive an injection. Several vaccines have been approved for use by the government, including the AstraZeneca vaccine and the Russian Sputnik-V. A new vaccine, a three-dose vaccine produced by local manufacturer Cadila Healthcare, was also approved for use by people under 18.
There are over 70,000 state-run vaccination centers currently administering free vaccines in India. Another 2,000 private centers also offer vaccines, although they charge for the service.
