- Friday, April 26, 2024
By: Pramod Kumar
INDIA will have nearly 120 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines available for domestic use in June, the government has said.
This marks a significant jump from the 79.4 million doses that were available in May.
India has administered about 212 million doses, the most after China and the US, but has given the necessary two doses to only about three per cent of its 1.35 billion people.
The country reported its lowest daily rise in new coronavirus infections since April 11 at 152,734 cases over the past 24 hours, while deaths rose by 3,128 on Monday (31).
arlier this month, a top government adviser said more than two billion doses of coronavirus vaccines will likely be available in India between August to December this year, including those from the two domestic manufacturers.
Several Indian states have reported an acute shortage of vaccines, forcing many regions, including the capital New Delhi, to again prioritise those aged above 45.
For the month of June, 60.9 million doses will be made available by the central government to states for vaccination of healthcare and frontline workers and those above the age of 45 years, while 58.6 million doses will be available for direct purchase by states and private hospitals, the release said.
The country has recently begun to roll out Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, alongside the AstraZeneca vaccine produced locally at the Serum Institute of India (SII) and Covaxin made by local firm Bharat Biotech.
Sputnik Light vaccine
India’s Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories is in talks with the government to bring Russia’s Sputnik Light Covid-19 vaccine into the country, a company spokesperson said on Monday.
Dr. Reddy’s is also in talks with the Indian government and the private sector to supply the two-dose Sputnik V vaccine, which the company expects to commercially launch in the country in the middle of next month.
