India will be able to administer COVID-19 vaccines to at least all of its adult population by the end of 2021, according to Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan.
Vardhan reported that the government is actively encouraging vaccine manufacturers to increase vaccine supply in the country while evaluating the public health response to COVID-19 and the success of vaccination with nine states and UTs.
He shared the expectation that vaccine production in the country will exponentially increase in the coming months.
According to the Union Health Minister, 51 crore coronavirus vaccine doses will be procured by July this year, with 216 crore doses procured between August and December 2021.
He also emphasized the importance of increasing vaccination rates and reiterating the need to use 70% of the vaccinations given by the government for the second dose.
A total of 19.73 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses had been delivered throughout the country as of Saturday morning (May 22).
Harsh Vardhan also presented a snapshot of the COVID-19 condition in all states and UTs during the conference.
Since March 2021, heavy transmission has been observed in Chhattisgarh, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. At the beginning of May, the state had a near-30 percent positivity score. There are over 35,000 active cases in Himachal Pradesh, with a fatality rate of 1.44 percent, which is far higher than the national average.
Harsh Vardhan blamed complacency, weddings, super spreader incidents, and other factors for the sharp increase in cases in Himachal Pradesh. He said that there are 22,000 active cases in Goa, which is on the rise. There are 366 active cases in Daman and Diu, with a downward trend. Similarly, Ladakh is on the decline, with 1,500 active cases at this time.
Harsh Vardhan issued a warning about a new emerging trend in the region, stating that smaller states are now showing an upward trend and that severe caution is needed. To combat the pandemic, he urged states to adopt the fundamental concepts of COVID Appropriate Behaviour, which include testing, measuring, tracing, handling and now vaccinating.
