India Has Vaccinated 4 Lakh People in the 18-44 Category So Far, Gujarat Leads State Tally

Covid-19 vaccination for the 18-44 age group witnessed close to 4 lakh inoculations across 12 states in the first three days.

Over the last 24 hours, 2.15 lakh beneficiaries in the age group got the shots.

Gujarat, which is by far ahead of all other states in managing to provide vaccines to the younger lot, has seen 1,08,188 or nearly 25 percent of all vaccinations so far for this age group, followed by Rajasthan (75,817) and Maharashtra (73,455).

The only other state where more than 50,000 people in the category have got the shot, is Haryana.

Vaccination for all adult population started from May 1 under the Centre’s liberalised and decentralized policy amid a crippling shortage of vaccines due to which even the prioritized groups are struggling to secure shots for themselves.

Over the last 24 hours, 16. 5 lakh vaccine doses were given out, taking the total doses administered to 15.88 crores.

On Monday, the government said that it has placed fresh orders last week for 11 crore doses of Covishield and 5 crore doses of Covaxin, expected to be delivered from May through July.

Meanwhile, vaccine maker the Serum Institute of India is set to invest in facilities in Britain and could even manufacture inoculations in the UK in the future, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.

Johnson’s Downing Street office said the £240 million ($334 million) project would include a sales office, “clinical trials, research and development and possibly manufacturing of vaccines”.

The Serum Institute of India (SII) is the world’s largest vaccine maker by volume and has been at the forefront of producing the lower-cost AstraZeneca coronavirus shot.

SII has also begun phase one trials in the UK of a one-dose nasal vaccine for coronavirus.

Also, Pfizer Inc said it told the Indian government that there was no concern over the safety of its COVID-19 vaccine, as the country insists on small local trials for foreign shots despite a record surge in infections and shortage of doses.

The government in mid-April made it easier for foreign vaccines approved in the West and Japan to sell in India, though companies would still have to initiate a local clinical trial within 30 days of receiving emergency use authorization. Previously, companies were required to do the trial prior to approval.

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