New Delhi: India will celebrate the milestone of administering one billion COVID-19 vaccine doses on Thursday with the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya launching a song and an audio-visual film at the Red Fort.
Since the target is likely to be achieved on Thursday itself, the event to commemorate it will begin at 12.30 pm.
Various government functionaries and other stakeholders will participate. The central government has made arrangements to announce the achievement through public announcements at airports, railway stations, ports, bus stations and metro rail stations at the precise moment when India achieves the one-billion target.
“People are excited about this milestone not just in India but globally also as many countries have shown interest in knowing how India has made it possible to jab so many people. The number of doses that we have already administered is even greater than the population of many countries,” said the health minister last week while elaborating on the plan.
Under the national Covid-19 immunisation drive, at least 991 million vaccine doses have been administered since the countrywide drive was launched on January 16, according to government data.
The states and Union territories have so far received at least one billion Covid-19 vaccine doses from the Centre and through direct procurement. States also have 107.8 million balance and unutilised doses.
Many other organisations are also celebrating the event individually.
