(ANSA) - NEW DELHI, AUGUST 27 - More than half of Indian adults, about 610 million people have been vaccinated against Covid19: 473 million have had at least one dose, while another 138 million have been immunized with two: official figures from the ministry say to Health.
The country is struggling against time to stop the third wave of infection: in the last three weeks the government, which has set itself the goal of vaccinating all Indian citizens by the end of the year, has managed to administer 100 million new doses.
Since the start of the national campaign last January, strong disparities persist between the different areas of the country, with the largest and poorest states struggling between organizational difficulties and the still widespread distrust of the population.
The country uses three drugs, Covishield (aka the version of AstraZeneca made in Pune), Covaxin, the all-Indian vaccine, and Sputnik. Last week, Zycov-D, the first DNA-based vaccine from Zydus Cadila, was also authorized and will also be given to children.
Since the start of the pandemic, India has counted 32 million positives, the second highest figure in the world, after the United States.
The deaths officially counted were 400,000, but the majority of experts estimate the total number as at least two times higher. (HANDLE).