Over 3.14 crore Covid vaccine doses available with States, UTs and private hospitals: Govt.

The Health Ministry says that the govt is committed to accelerate the pace and expand the scope of COVID-19 vaccination

NEW DELHI, 02/08/2021: A healthcare worker administering a shot of Covishield vaccine dose to a beneficiary during the vaccination drive of first and second dose, age group of 18 plus, at a vaccination center, Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya Subhash Nagar area in West Delhi on Monday, August 2, 2021. Photo: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR/ The Hindu

More than 3.14 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with States and union territories, and private hospitals, the Union health ministry said on Monday.

Till date, 49,64,98,050 vaccine doses have been provided to States and UTs through all sources and 9,84,610 doses are in the pipeline, it said.

As many as 3,14,34,654 balance and unutilised COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with the States and UTs and private hospitals to be administered to the beneficiaries, the ministry said.

The Union government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country, it said.

The new phase of universalisation of COVID-19 vaccination commenced on June 21.

The vaccination drive has been ramped up through availability of more vaccines, advanced visibility of vaccine availability to states and UTs for enabling better planning by them, and streamlining the vaccine supply chain, the ministry said.

As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, the government of India has been supporting the states and UTs by providing them COVID-19 vaccines for free of cost.

In the new phase of universalisation of the COVID-19 vaccination drive, the Union government will procure and supply free of cost 75 per cent of the vaccines being produced by the vaccine manufacturers in the country to states and UTs, the ministry said.