Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a review meet on Covid-19 vaccines on Saturday. The virtual meeting, which began at 5 pm, was attended by senior officials in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the Health Secretary and NITI Aayog member (health) Dr VK Paul.

Officials made a presentation on the progress of Covid-19 vaccination drive during the virtual meeting on Saturday. PM Modi was also apprised about the supply of jabs in the upcoming months and efforts being made to increase production.

The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction at vaccinations picking up pace this week. He stressed that it is important to carry this momentum forward in order to ensure that most Indians are vaccinated at the earliest.

Ensure pace of testing doesn’t go down: PM Modi

“Ensure that the pace of testing does not go down as testing remains a very important weapon to track and contain rising infections in any region,” said PM Modi.

It was also discussed that 128 districts in the country have vaccinated more than 50 per cent of the 45+ population and 16 districts have vaccinated more than 90 per cent of the 45+ population.

Officials told the Prime Minister that deliberations are on with state governments to explore innovative methods to shore up vaccination numbers. PM Modi suggested the option of involving NGOs and other organizations for this purpose.

Referring to the CoWIN platform, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also told senior officials that efforts should be made to help all countries using India’s expertise.

3.7 crore doses administered in last six days

Earlier this month, the central government reversed course on its Covid vaccine policy by reclaiming the rights to procure 75 per cent of all jabs produced in India. The remaining 25 per cent was earmarked for private hospitals.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s dashboard, more than 31 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered across the country to date. The government is also in talks with US pharma company Pfizer for emergency use approval for its Covid vaccine.

Over the last six days, a total of 3.77 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in India. This number is more than the entire population of countries such as Malaysia, Canada and Saudi Arabia.