Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to meet the COVID-19 vaccine makers of the country on Saturday, October 23. He will be meeting the representatives from 7 vaccine makers of the country, namely Serum Insitute of India, Bharat Biotech, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Zydus Cadila, Biological E, Gennova Biopharma and Panacea Biotech.
The meeting comes just days after India reported the administration of 100 crore doses to its eligible population due to the fast-paced vaccination drive in the country.
Sources stated that during the meeting, Modi is expected to address plans to administer the COVID-19 vaccination to the eligible adult population of the country “as fast as possible” and also assist other countries to immunise their citizens against COVID-19 as part of the matra “vaccine for all” adopted by the Modi government.
Other ministers anticipated to participate in the meeting will include Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar.
As of October 23, the total vaccination doses administered in the country has crossed 101.3 crores. In over 1 billion doses administered so far, 75 per cent of the adults have received at least one dose while 31 per cent of the adults have been administered both doses of the vaccination, according to data presented by the Union Ministry of Health.
Moreover, nine states and union territories — Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep Island, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Dadra and Nagar Haveli — have administered at one vaccine dose to all of its eligible adult population.
India crossed the 100 million vaccine dose mark on Thursday, October 21, nine months and five days after the country’s Covid-19 vaccine drive kicked off on January 16. It is currently behind only China in the total number of doses administered in a country.
