India crossed a major milestone on 21 October when the number of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccine doses administered in the country crossed the 1 billion mark. The milestone was achieved half an hour after 10am.

The number is twice the number of vaccines administered in the United States, five times that of Japan, nine times that of Germany and 10 times the number of vaccine doses administered in France, the government said in a presentation hailing the ‘vaccine century’.

It said that 75 per cent of eligible population has taken the first dose and eight states and union territories (UTs) – Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Goa and Lakhshadweep – have achieved 100 per cent first dose coverage. It also said that four states and UTs have more than 90 per cent coverage of the first dose.