India has vaccinated 1,01,88,007 healthcare workers and frontline workers so far. The vaccination drive in the country had begun on 16 January. According to the Union health ministry, India’s vaccination coverage ranks third in the world, after the USA (55.2 million doses) and the UK (16.12 million doses). “India is third globally, after the US and the UK, in highest cumulative vaccination numbers,” the Union health ministry said on Thursday. The US and the UK have completed over 60 days of vaccination while India has completed 32 days. Meanwhile, 13,193 new Covid-19 cases were reported across the country in the last 24 hours. With the new cases, the coronavirus tally in the country has reached 1,09,63,394 including 1,39,542 active cases and 1,06,67,741 discharges.

Vaccines for new strains

Interim results of the ongoing clinical trial indicate that the indigenous Covid-19 vaccines would be effective against the mutated virus strains reported from the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Thursday, February 18.

“The interim analysis report should be out in a week,” said ICMR director-general Dr Balram Bhargava

Bhargava said that the third clinical trial of Covaxin BB152 had been completed as all the 25,800 volunteers involved in the exercise had been administered both doses.

He pointed out that India was the fifth country in the world to isolate the Covid-19 virus as part of the efforts to develop a vaccine for the pandemic.

India to gift  200,000 COVID-19 doses for UN peacekeepers

India, hailed as the pharmacy of the world, announced a gift of 200,000 COVID-19 doses for UN peacekeepers.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made the announcement at the UN Security Council open debate on the implementation of resolution 2532 (2020) on the cessation of hostilities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Keeping in mind the UN Peacekeepers who operate in such difficult circumstances, we would like to announce today a gift of 200,000 doses for them,” Jaishankar told the UN Security Council.