India on Friday, 6 August, crossed the 50-crore mark in number of COVID vaccine doses administered. In light of this, PM Narendra Modi took to Twitter to say that India's fight against COVID had received "a strong impetus".
"We hope to build on these numbers and ensure our citizens are vaccinated under #SabkoVaccineMuftVaccine movement," PM Modi wrote on Twitter.
Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya also tweeted, terming it a "historic record".
He then also shared a graphic about India's pace of vaccination, saying that it had picked up speed.
Mandaviya said India achieved the 10 crore doses milestone within 85 days, went from 10 crore to 20 crore in 45 days, from 20 crore to 30 crore in 29 days and from 30 crore to 40 crore in 24 days. He pointed out that it only took 20 days to go from 40 crore to 50 crore.
The first phase of India's COVID-19 vaccination drive started from 16 January, with healthcare workers and frontline workers being inoculated. Thereafter, vaccination was opened up to the rest of the country's population in phases, with the government announcing on 19 April, that everyone above the age of 18 years could be vaccinated from 1 May onwards.
In June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing the nation on announced the centralisation of the COVID-19 vaccine drive and said that all vaccines will be procured by the Centre and given to the states for free.
He said that the Centre would take back control of the vaccination drive from the states and provide free vaccines to all above 18 years of age beginning 21 June.
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