Hope to Vaccinate Whole Country by December, Says Indian Council of Medical Research Center Chief Balram Bhargava

A health worker inoculates people with a dose of the Covishield vaccine against the Covid-19 coronavirus, at a drive-through vaccination center in New Delhi on May 30. (IANS photo)

NEW DELHI — Noting that the Covid-19 vaccination drive is ramping up, Indian Council of Medical Research Director General Balram Bhargava said June 1 he hopes to vaccinate the “whole country” by end of this year.

Addressing a press conference here, Bhargava also announced that enough doses to vaccinate 10 million people per day will be possible by mid-July or August this year.

The ICMR Director General also appealed people to have patience, saying “we are equal to the US in terms of vaccinating people. However, our population is almost four times of the US, we should have patience.”

“Our vaccination drive is being ramped up and by December 2021, we hope to have the whole country vaccinated. India is one of the five countries which is producing vaccines,” he said.

The ICMR chief also said that “there is no shortage of vaccine in the country.”

“By mid-July or August, we will have enough doses to vaccinate 1 crore people per day. We are confident of vaccinating the whole population by December.”

He also shared the government’s plan to gradually lift thee lockdown by ensuring less than five per cent cases in containment areas, and over 70 percent inoculation to vulnerable section or people over 60 years.

“We will not witness a massive surge. However, we have to ensure that vaccination is prioritized. The vaccination rate must be up to 70 percent and Covid appropriate behavior should be followed.”