NEW DELHI — India has given more than 10 million
COVID-19 jabs in a single day for the first time, authorities said Saturday, as
the South Asian giant bolsters its defenses for a predicted new surge.
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The health ministry said the 10 million landmark was passed
on Friday, beating the country's previous daily record of 9.2 million. The
government has been stung by criticism after a brutal coronavirus wave in April
and May killed more than 200,000 people.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the milestone as a
"momentous feat" for the nation of 1.3 billion people.
"Kudos to those getting vaccinated and those making the
vaccination drive a success," he said on Twitter.
The government had aimed to vaccinate about 1.1 billion
adults by the end of the year but shortages, administrative confusion and
hesitancy have held back numbers. Only around 15 percent have had two doses
since the drive began in January.
India's daily infection count has dropped dramatically since
the devastating surge in April-May which overwhelmed its creaking health
infrastructure.
Almost all restrictions on movement and activity have been
lifted even though experts have warned of a new wave hitting as early as next
month as the festival season starts.
Daily case numbers have started rising again above 40,000
and more than 500 deaths were reported on Saturday. The 46,000 new cases
reported Saturday was the highest figure in two months. Much of the spike has
been blamed on a surge in the southern state of Kerala.
India is currently administering three vaccines — the
Oxford-AstraZeneca jab, known locally as Covishield, Covaxin by Indian firm
Bharat Biotech and the Russian-made Sputnik V.
The country has so far recorded 437,370
deaths and more than
32 million infections, the second-highest in the world after the United States.
Experts say that because of under-reporting, India's true toll could be more
than four times higher.
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