India Achieves Historic Milestone of 1 Billion Vaccines, Health Minister Congratulates Country

India is expected to touch the 100 crore COVID-19 vaccination milestone including first and second doses on Thursday. According to provisional data, about 99.70 crore vaccine doses had been administered across the country as of Wednesday.

While 74 percent of the estimated adult population have received the first dose, 31 percent are fully vaccinated. The government has planned massive celebrations across the country to mark the milestone.

“After 100 crore doses are administered, we will go in mission mode to ensure that those who have taken their first dose take their second dose too to ensure they are protected against COVID-19 ,” Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had said. Mandaviya on Wednesday had appealed to all those who are eligible to get inoculated without delay and contribute to the historic vaccination journey of India.

Here’s what to expect:

1. Mandaviya will launch a song by singer Kailash Kher and an audio-visual film at the Red Fort.

2. SpiceJet will unveil a special livery at the Delhi airport to celebrate the 100 crore vaccine milestone on Thursday. The health minister, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh will be present on the occasion.

3. Announcements will be made on airplanes, ships, metros and at railway stations when India achieves its target of administering 100 crore doses.

4. Celebrations will also be held at central government hospitals in the city to mark the occasion.

5. The Centre has also said that all those villages which have completed 100 percent vaccination should mark the 100 crore-doses administered achievement by putting up posters and banners complimenting health workers for their role in the exercise.

6. The largest khadi tricolour in the country, weighing around 1,400 kg, will be displayed at the Red Fort on Thursday. The same tricolour with dimensions 225 feet by 150 feet was unfurled on 2 October Gandhi Jayanti in Leh.

7. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is planning to illuminate 100 heritage monuments across the country in tricolour. Only one other country has administered over a billion vaccine doses – China (crossed 1 billion doses in June), which is also the only other country to have a population of more than one billion.

The nationwide vaccination drive started in India on 6 January with the healthcare workers (HCWs) and the frontline workers getting inoculated in the first phase. The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from 1 March for people over 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified co-morbid conditions.

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