First 300 Million... India to Start COVID-19 Vaccination from Tomorrow

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] India will simultaneously begin COVID-19 vaccinations at over 3,000 locations nationwide starting on the 16th.

According to Indian media on the 15th, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to officially announce the start of vaccinations through a video conference on the morning of the 16th.

India has currently granted emergency use authorization for two types of vaccines. One is the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine (Covishield) produced by the local company Serum Institute (SII), and the other is the vaccine (Covaxin) developed by the local company Bharat Biotech.

India will first begin vaccinations with 10 million healthcare workers. On the first day of distribution, approximately 300,000 healthcare workers will receive the vaccine.

Following healthcare workers, vaccinations will be administered to frontline workers such as police officers, soldiers, and public officials, as well as individuals aged 50 and above or those under 50 with chronic comorbidities. The total number of these priority vaccination recipients reaches 300 million.

India's cumulative number of COVID-19 confirmed cases has been tallied at 10,527,638 as of this day, an increase of 15,590 from the previous day.

India ranks second in the world in cumulative confirmed cases after the United States, but the daily new confirmed cases, which once approached 100,000, have recently significantly decreased to the mid-10,000s.