Move FM Global News

NEW DELHI, India: With booster shots being given to all adults amidst a four-month high in new daily Covid cases, the Indian government’s COVID-19 vaccinations rate has reached the 2 billion mark.

Extolling the vaccination milestone, Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated the world’s largest and longest-running inoculation campaign, which started in 2021.

In a tweet, Modi, who has faced allegations from the opposition of mishandling the pandemic, said, “India creates history again!”

The Indian government has rejected the claims of mismanagement of the pandemic.

According to health ministry data, the death toll from COVID-19 in India stands at 525,709, with 49 deaths recorded overnight.

Reuters also reported 20,528 new cases over the past 24 hours, the highest since 20th February.

India, with a population of some 1.35 billion people, has lifted most pandemic-related restrictions, and international travel has also recovered.

AstraZeneca vaccine made domestically, called Covishield, has accounted for 80 percent of the administered vaccinations, and the federal government has been accelerating its booster campaign to avoid surges, especially in Assam and West Bengal in the east, as well as Karnataka in the south.