Expressing satisfaction at an increased speed of COVID-19 vaccination this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said it is important to carry this momentum forward and also underlined a need to involve NGOs and other organisations in efforts to expand the drive.
Over 3.77 crore COVID vaccine doses have been administered in the last six days, the government said in a statement after a high-level review meeting held by Modi with top officials on the progress of the vaccination drive.
It was noted that 128 districts in the country have vaccinated more than 50 per cent of over 45 years of population and 16 districts have vaccinated more than 90 per cent of this age group. In a tweet after the meeting, Modi said, “Reviewed progress of India’s vaccination drive. The numbers over the last week have been consistently encouraging.
We seek to build on this momentum and ensure that maximum people are vaccinated quickly.” In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said, “PM was informed that 3.77 crore doses have been administered in the last 6 days which is more than the entire population of countries like Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Canada.” Modi also directed officials to work with states to ensure that the pace of testing does not go down as testing remains a very important weapon to track and contain rising infections in any region.
He underlined the need to involve NGOs and other organisations in the vaccination drive, with officials stating that they are in touch with state governments to explore and implement innovative methods to reach people for vaccination, the PMO said.
