Covid-19 vaccine: India to have 51.6 crore doses by end of July

India will have 51.6 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccine procured by the end of July this year, including the 18 crore doses already administered among people, the country's Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said today.

Russian vaccine Sputnik-V has been approved and along with the expected approval of the new vaccine of Zydus Cadila, the Serum Institute of India-Novavax vaccine, Bharat Biotech's nasal vaccine and Genova's mRNA vaccine, the availability of Covid-19 vaccines in India will be pushed to 216 crore doses between August and December this year, the minister said.

Taking note of the fact that all Indian states require more vaccines to expand their vaccination coverage, Vardhan said production is being steadily ramped up to cater to the increased demand.

The present plateauing of Covid-19 cases should not be taken as a sign for complacency but as a breathing space to expand, revamp and improve the country's health infrastructure, he added.