India’s one billion vaccinations feat: Stakeholders hail mammoth effort to achieve uphill task

New Delhi: In a historic achievement, the cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in India surpassed the 100-crore milestone on October 21, 2021. The country is second to have reached the landmark of 100 crore jabs after China which has administered more than 200 crore doses.

Having begun at a slow pace, India took 85 days to administer the first 10 crore dose. With more synchronized efforts, it reached the next 10 crore in 46 days. While it took India a total of 202 days to reach the 50 crore mark after it began giving shots, it took just 76 days more to hit the 100 crore landmark. A major milestone was also crossed when 2.5 crore doses were administered in a single day on September 17, 2021.

In a tweet, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi congratulated the countrymen and expressed gratitude to the country’s scientific community and health professionals for working towards achieving this stupendous feat.

Many leading figures from the bioscience industry and allied institutions expressed their happiness and satisfaction at this remarkable achievement.

“Reaching the one billion mark of COVID-19 vaccinations in just nine months is a remarkable achievement for India. Bharat Biotech is proud to have contributed to this historic landmark. This is a unified effort of the Government, vaccine manufacturers, healthcare workers and all the vaccinated citizens of India, making it a true success story of Atmanirbharta,” mentioned Dr. Krishna Ella, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Biotech.

Gagandeep Singh – Managing Director, AstraZeneca India expressed his happiness: “We congratulate the Government of India in reaching this momentous feat of completing one billion vaccination in India and taking its due place in history. The vision of Serum Institute of India to propel research-based solutions, undertake key collaboration and augment mass-production has been commendable in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. At AstraZeneca, we are proud and stand committed to innovate as well as collaborate in developing most scientifically accurate and viable solutions for mankind.”

“Today, India has achieved a milestone of administering100Cr vaccines to eligible beneficiaries; the world has taken note of our achievement and that’s truly a feat to be proud of! Of these, approximately 71% have received at least their first dose, and 29% have received both doses. This tells us that as a nation, we have made immense progress and that too in a short span on time. It is only a matter of time before vaccines are made available for children, which will further enhance the nation’s vaccination drive. However, we still need to be cautious and cannot declare victory over the virus. That being said, we are definitely better prepared to confront any challenge COVID19 poses to us now,” commented Dr Rahul Pandit, Director-Critical Care, Fortis Hospitals Mumbai & Member of the Supreme Court-appointed National COVID19 Task Force.

Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia too shared her thoughts: “Huge congratulations to India for marking yet another milestone — a billion COVID-19 vaccine doses administered. This extraordinary feat in a short span was not possible without strong political leadership, inter-sectoral convergence, dedicated efforts of the entire health and frontline workforce, and the people themselves. India’s progress must be viewed in the context of the country’s commendable commitment and efforts to ensure that these life-saving vaccines are accessible globally.”