India Administers Over 2 Cr Jabs In One Day, Sets New Vaccination Record On PM's Birthday

Adding today's tally, daily vaccinations crossed the one-crore mark for the fourth time in less than a month.

Health workers inoculate a COVID-19 vaccine dose to a beneficiary during a mega-vaccination drive. (Image: PTI)

New Delhi: India on Friday administered over 2 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses till 5:30 pm, setting a new record on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 71st birthday. The cumulative doses administered in the country reached 2,03,68,343 at 5.27 pm, according to data on the Co-WIN portal.

With this, the total number of doses administered in the country has crossed 78.72 crore.

Reacting to the achievement Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted took to Twitter and said that the feat is a gift to PM Modi on behalf of health workers and people of the country. 

"A gift to the prime minister on behalf of health workers and people of the country. On the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, India has crossed the historic figure of administering 2 crore vaccine doses in a day, setting a new record. Well done India!" Mandaviya tweeted in Hindi.

Adding today's tally, daily vaccinations crossed the one-crore mark for the fourth time in less than a month. Mandaviya said this is the fastest pace at which one crore doses have been administered.

"On PM @Narendra Modi Ji's birthday, till 1:30 pm, the country has crossed the mark of 1 crore vaccines, the fastest so far, and we are continuously moving forward. I believe that today we will all make a new record of vaccination and give it as a gift to the prime minister," he said in a tweet in Hindi earlier along with the hashtags "VaccineSeva" and "HappyBdayModiji".

The BJP has planned a 20-day event called "Seva and Samarpan Abhiyan" to mark Modi's 20 years in public service. The BJP has asked its units across the country to help get a large number of people vaccinated on the occasion.

Mandaviya called for a major push to the Covid-19 vaccination drive during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday on Friday, saying it would be the perfect gift for him. 

Till Thursday, 20 per cent of India's adult population have received both doses of Covid-19 vaccine, while 62 per cent have got at least one dose of vaccine. 

According to data shared by Health Ministry, India took 85 days to touch the 10-crore vaccination mark, 45 more days to cross the 20-crore mark and 29 more days to reach the 30-crore mark. The country took 24 days to reach 40 crore from 30 crore doses and then 20 more days to cross the 50-crore vaccination mark on August 6. 

The government then decided to expand its vaccination drive by allowing everyone above 18 to be vaccinated from May 1.

(With inputs from agencies.)