50% of India’s adults are now vaccinated with atleast 1 dose of COVID-19 vaccine

In an unprecedented milestone, over 50% of the eligible population in India has been inoculated with at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 61 crores, the Union health ministry said on Thursday. Nearly 68 lakh (67,87,305) vaccine doses were administered on Thursday, according to the 7 pm provisional report. Final reports would be completed for the day by late night, the ministry said.

According to the government, based on the projected mid-year count for 2020, the total population of the country aged 18 years and above is approximately 94 crore. On Thursday, India completed administering 47.29 crore first doses — which is 50.30% of this projected adult population.

India is now aiming to fully vaccinate 60% of the population by December 2021 in order to prevent a third wave of the pandemic. 10.9 million doses will have to be administered per day across the country to achieve the December target.

Official data show 99% of healthcare workers have received their first shot, and 83% are fully vaccinated. All frontline workers have received their first shot, and 79% are fully vaccinated.

While single-dose vaccination cover is well above the national average in smaller states like Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Goa, the four big states — Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, and West Bengal — are yet to achieve 50% single-dose vaccination cover.

This morning, India added 44,658 new cases and 496 deaths related to the virus. The country’s overall caseload now stands at 3.26 crore, while total fatalities are at 4.36 lakh, according to the health ministry.

The national recovery rate remains at a healthy level of 97.63%