As India on Monday hit the one billion COVID-19 vaccination mark, wishes have poured in from across the globe. With a population of nearly 1.4 billion (around 93 crore adults), India has now administered at least one dose of vaccine to more than 75% of the adult population. Nine states and union territories have incidentally administered the first dose to all eligible people.
"Congratulations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the scientists, health workers and people of India, on your efforts to protect the vulnerable populations from COVID-19 and achieve vaccine equity targets," tweeted World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in response to a commemorative post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Congratulations to India on administering its 1 billionth dose of COVID-19 vaccine today – a major milestone in the world’s efforts to combat the global pandemic," tweeted the US Embassy in India.
Bhutan's Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering dubbed it a "huge accomplishment" for both India and the world. "On behalf of the people of Bhutan, I congratulate India!" he added in a tweet.
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa congratulated PM Modi, the medical community and frontliners of India for achieving this "mammoth" task. "The way forward and adjusting to the new normal while staying safe is highly dependent on a successful vaccination drive. Congratulations on reaching this milestone," he tweeted.
Vaccine Maitri incidentally is a humanitarian initiative undertaken by the Indian government to provide COVID-19 vaccines to countries around the world. The government started providing vaccines from January 20. India has so far delivered around 66.3 million doses of vaccines to 95 countries, including Canada, the UK, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Nepal, South Africa, Ukraine and Bahrain.
Take a look at some of the other posts:
