On Friday, India administered more than 10 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, a national record that Prime Minister Narendra Modi hails as a “momentous feat” for the country ahead of fears of another surge in infections. Modi tweeted, “Record vaccination numbers today! Crossing 1 crore (10 million) is a momentous feat.” The previous daily record was 9.2 million.
In total, India administered about 628 million vaccine doses in total, giving at least one dose to more than half of its 944 million adults and the required doses to 15%. The government wants the entire adult population covered by December. India’s vaccine production has jumped this month, thanks mainly to the Serum Institute of India that is now making about 150 million doses a month of its version of AstraZeneca vaccine.
The sharp rise in vaccinations came as India recorded more than 40,000 new infections for a second consecutive day on Friday. Cases had fallen to a five-month-low of 25,166 in the middle of the month but have risen sharply in the last three days, mainly in the southern state of Kerala which recently held a large festival during which families typically come together. On Friday, India reported 44,658 new COVID-19 infections taking the total to 32.6 million, the most in the world after the US. The death toll rose by 496 to 436,861.
