India Set To Cross 100 Crore Vaccine Milestone Today

New Delhi, Oct. 21 | Vaccine: Nine months after launching what it called “the world’s biggest vaccination drive“, India is set to complete 1 billion or 100 crore doses today, with the government planning festivities for a “great achievement“.

Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya will launch a song composed by singer Kailash Kher and an audio-visual film at the Red Fort today.

Vaccine journey of India

“The country is close to making a vaccine century. To be a part of this golden opportunity, I appeal to the citizens who are yet to be vaccinated to contribute to this historic golden vaccination journey of India by getting vaccinated immediately,” he said in a tweet in Hindi.

The government also plans to make public announcements on airplanes, ships, metros and at railway stations when the billionth shot is given.

Along with this, the largest khadi tricolour in the country, weighing around 1,400 kg, will be displayed at the Red Fort today.

Tricolour

The same tricolour with dimensions 225 feet by 150 feet was unfurled on October 2 – Gandhi Jayanti – in Leh. The flag is the largest handwoven and handspun cotton khadi flag ever manufactured in India.

“After 100 crore doses are administered, we will go in mission mode to ensure that those who have taken their first dose take their second dose too to ensure they are protected against Covid-19,” Mandaviya had earlier said.

It is to mention here that Civil society and community-based organisations were not adequately engaged early in the campaign. While mass media campaigns are useful and have been well delivered across the country through a variety of channels, neighbourhood conversations and peer persuasion are important pathways for influencing levels of vaccine confidence.

It was only later in the campaign, as the second wave surged, that community-based organisations were mobilised and actively engaged. Such partnerships are essential for the successful delivery of public health programmes, especially during major public health emergencies which stretch and strain the resources of the government machinery.

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