India's Covid vaccination drive completes one year

India marks the first anniversary of the nationwide vaccination drive against Covid-19 Sunday. Vaccination had begun with health workers on January 16 last year. Then it opened for frontline workers on February 2 last year, followed by the 60-plus age group and those above 45-years and comorbid from  March 1 and for all above 18 years from 1st May in 2021. The drive for administering precautionary dose to the healthcare workers, frontline workers and sixty plus individuals commenced on January 10. Vaccination of children in the age-group of 15-18 years was started from 3rd of this month. During  one year over 156.76 crore vaccine doses were administered. Over 92 per cent of the adult population have received at least one dose while over 68 per cent have been fully vaccinated. Prime minister Narendra Modi in his tweet has said that vaccination programme has added great strength to the fight against COVID-19. It has led to saving lives and thus protecting livelihoods.

Today we mark #1YearOfVaccineDrive.

I salute each and every individual who is associated with the vaccination drive.

Our vaccination programme has added great strength to the fight against COVID-19. It has led to saving lives and thus protecting livelihoods. https://t.co/7ch0CAarIf

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 16, 2022

Covid vaccine doses administered in the country surpassed the 100-crore mark on October 21 last year. The cumulative vaccine doses administered in the country surpassed the 150-crore mark on January 7. Health minister Dr  Mansukh Mandaviya in a tweet said that the world's largest vaccination drive achieving new milestones.

Have a look at the journey of #1YearOfVaccineDrive, that gives glimpses of the nation's collective fight against #COVID19 under the visionary and inspiring leadership of PM @NarendraModi Ji. pic.twitter.com/Hit9Ku8rzS

— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) January 16, 2022

The health ministry has claimed that India's vaccination programme has been one of the most successful and largest inoculation programmes when compared to many developed western nations with a significantly low population base to vaccinate.