PM Modi meets seven Indian Covid vaccine manufacturers after billion-dose milestone

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met seven Indian COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, a meeting that comes in the wake of the country achieving the landmark of administering 100 crore doses of the jabs, official sources said.

Representatives from seven vaccine makers -- Serum Institute of India, Bharat Biotech, Dr Reddy's Laboratories, Zydus Cadila, Biological E, Gennova Biopharma and Panacea Biotech --participated in the meeting.

The PM was likely to emphasise on ways to vaccinate eligible people in India as quickly as possible and also help other countries in inoculating their population as part of the mantra ''vaccine for all'', an official source said.

The cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has exceeded 101.30 crore, according to the health ministry data updated at 7 am.

India on October 21 achieved a major milestone in its vaccination programme against COVID-19 as the cumulative vaccine doses administered in the country surpassed the 100-crore mark, resulting in celebratory events across various parts. More than 75 percent of India's adult population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, with nine states and union territories administering the first dose to all eligible people.

Over 31 percent of the country's around 93 crore adults have been administered both the doses, according to health ministry officials.

So far, all adult population in nine states and union territories -- Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Dadra and Nagar Haveli -- have received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine.

Three vaccines -- Covishield manufactured by Serum Institute of India, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and Sputnik V -- are currently being used in the country's Covid vaccination drive.