Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Published : January 11, 2021 2:38 PM IST
The Covid-19 vaccination drive will be carried out in 5,000 sites across India, beginning January 16.
As India prepares for the world's biggest vaccination drive, the daily coronavirus positivity rate has also dropped considerably. The country recorded just 16,311 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours on Monday, the lowest one-day figure in over six months, as reported by IANS.
Since the last 17 days, the country is also witnessing less than 300 new deaths due to coronavirus. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 161 deaths were reported in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 1,51,160 in the country.
So far, about 1,04,66,595 have been infected by the deadly virus, which include 1,00,92,909 recovered cases and 2,22,526 active cases. The recovery rate stands at 96.43 per cent while the fatality rate is 1.44 as per cent, the news agency said.
As of January 10, as many as 18,17,55,831 samples have been tested for Covid-19 in the country, including 6,59,209 samples tested on Sunday, said the Indian Council of Medical Research.
With 19,69,114 total cases, Maharashtra continues to be the worst-hit state in India. About 82.25 per cent of the daily new cases are coming from nine states -- Kerala, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Gujarat.
Earlier the Centre had announced that the most-awaited mass vaccination drive would begin from January 16, with two vaccines Oxford University's Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. Three dry runs have been successfully conducted to test the vaccine delivery system across the country.
"On 16th January, India takes a landmark step forward in fighting COVID-19. Starting that day, India's nation-wide vaccination drive begins. Priority will be given to our brave doctors, healthcare workers, frontline workers including Safai Karamcharis," Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on Saturday.
Modi is meeting chief ministers of all states and Union territories today to review the pandemic situation in the country and discuss the coronavirus vaccination rollout. The virtual meeting is scheduled at 4 pm. This will be the Prime Minister's first meeting after Covishield and Covaxin were approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).
In the first phase of the vaccination drive, the Central government plans to vaccinate nearly 30 crore people. The first beneficiaries will include one crore healthcare workers, along with two crore frontline and essential workers, 26 crore people above the age of 50 and one crore below 50 with comorbidities.
The Covid-19 vaccination drive will be carried out in 5,000 sites across India. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Sunday that they have finalized 89 hospitals in the national capital for the first phase, out of which 40 are government-run, 49 are private. Jain told a press conference there will be 8-9 people at every centre to handle the vaccination drive.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant also announced on Monday that the state has identified five government and three private hospitals for rolling out the Covid-19 vaccination drive. Sawant told IANS that the vaccination programme in Goa would be finalised after the virtual meeting with the Prime Minister later in the evening today.
