India breaks its COVID-19 vaccination record in ‘birthday gift’ to Modi

Immunisations have surged in the past few weeks, thanks to a rapid rise in the production of the AstraZeneca shot by the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s biggest vaccine maker.

SII would supply 200 million doses to India’s immunisation programme this month, compared with around 150 million in the previous month, a government source who declined to be named said.

In addition, Bharat Biotech will supply 35 million doses of Covaxin this month, while Cadila Healthcare will join the inoculation drive next month by selling 10 million doses of its COVID-19 DNA vaccine.

The source said vaccinating Indians remained the priority for now though the country would eventually become a major supplier of affordable shots to the world. India, which stopped COVID-19 vaccine exports in April, now has the capacity to produce more than 2 billion doses a year.

The country of 1.35 billon people has administered more than 792 million doses, the most after China.

India has given at least one dose to more than 62 per cent of its 944 million adults and two doses to about 21 per cent, with the aim of administering at least one dose to nearly all adults by the first half of next month.

The country has reported more than 33.38 million coronavirus cases and 444,248 deaths.

The story corrects day in the first paragraph.

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