Amid concerns over low vaccination, PM Narendra Modi to hold review meeting with DMs of 40 districts

New Delhi: Immediately after returning to India after attending the G20 Summit and COP26, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually hold a review meeting with districts having low COVID-19 vaccination coverage on Wednesday.

The PM will hold the review meeting with 40 DM around 12 noon. As per an official statement from the Prime Minister`s Office, the meeting will include districts with less than 50 per cent coverage of the first dose and low coverage of the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Prime Minister will interact with District Magistrates of over 40 districts in Jharkhand, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, and other States with districts having low vaccination coverage. Chief Ministers of these States will also be present on the occasion, it added.

Meanwhile, India`s COVID-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 106.88 crore, as per data available on CoWIN portal. The cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 107 crore on Tuesday, the Union Health Ministry said. As many as 37,38,574 doses were administered till 7 pm. 

The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of final reports for the day by late night, the Ministry said.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday said 78 per cent of India's eligible population has been administered the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine while 38 per cent have received both the shots.

The vaccination exercise as a tool to protect the most vulnerable population groups in the country from COVID-19 continues to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level, the ministry underlined.

The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 with healthcare workers getting inoculated in the first phase. The vaccination of frontline workers started from February 2.

The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from March 1 for people over 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified co-morbid conditions. The country launched vaccination for all people aged more than 45 years from April 1.

The government then decided to expand its vaccination drive by allowing everyone above 18 to be vaccinated from May 1.