India Starts COVID-19 Vaccination Today... Targeting 300 Million People

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] India began COVID-19 vaccination on the 16th (local time).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a video speech that morning, "India has started the world's largest vaccination campaign."

India, with a cumulative confirmed case count exceeding 10 million, approved the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine (Covishield) produced by the local company Serum Institute (SII) and the vaccine (Covaxin) from the local company Bharat Biotech.

The initial target vaccination population is about 300 million, which is approximately 20% of India's total population of 1.38 billion. Vaccination will start with 10 million healthcare workers. It will then expand to 20 million frontline workers including police, military personnel, and government officials. Subsequently, vaccination will proceed for 270 million people aged 50 and above or those under 50 with chronic diseases or complications.