Government of India has been at the forefront of the fight against the COVID19 pandemic. Vaccination forms an integral component of the five-point strategy of Government of India to fight the pandemic including Test, Track, Treat and COVID Appropriate Behaviour.

There have been some recent media reports alleging that India will miss end-July 2021 target of administering half a billion doses. The reports also mention that the Government had stated in May 2021 that it would make 516 million shots available by end of July 2021. These reports are ill-informed and have clearly misrepresented the facts.

The figures of 516 million vaccine doses might have been picked up from various sources which informed about the likely availability of the vaccine doses from January 2021 to the end of July, 2021. The facts are that a total of more than 516 million vaccine doses will indeed be supplied from Jan 2021 to 31^st July 2021.

It is also pertinent to mention that Vaccine doses are supplied to the States/UTs as per advance allocation and advance information to them. Vaccines are supplied in various schedules throughout a month. Therefore, availability of 516 million doses till end of a particular month does not mean that every dose supplied till that month is going to be consumed/ administered. There would be supplies in pipeline, which should be available for next few days till the next supplies of vaccine doses materialize in a particular State/District/Sub District to keep vaccination going on.

As on date, a cumulative total of 457 million doses have been supplied to the States/ UTs from January 2021 till date and an additional 60.3 million doses are expected to be supplied by 31^st July. This will amount to a total of 517 million doses supplied from January 2021 to 31^st July 2021.

It should be appreciated that India has crossed the landmark of 440 million (44.19 crore) doses administered, which is the largest numbers achieved in the world and has been done at quite a brisk pace too. Out of these 9.60 crore are cases where both the doses have been administered.

A total of 11.97 crore doses was administered in June 2021. Similarly, for month of July 2021 (as on 26^th July), a total of 10.62 crore doses have already been administered.

It is the endeavour of the Government to provide vaccination to eligible citizens in the shortest possible time as per availability of the COVID vaccines.

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MV

HFW/ COVID-19 Myth vs Fact vaccination supply /27^th July 2021/3