Misbah Ali

On the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s 71st birthday, India set a record and administered over 2.5 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses in a single day on September 17, 2021.

After achieving this milestone, the country’s cumulative figure jumped to over 79 crores.

Out of all states, Karnataka topped the ongoing nationwide vaccination drive against COVID-19 by administering more than 26.9 lakh doses, followed by Bihar with more than 26.6 lakh doses, Uttar Pradesh over 24.8 lakh shots, Madhya Pradesh with more than 23.7 lakh, and Gujarat that administered over 20.4 lakh doses in a single day.

As per the data on the Co-WIN portal, the figures went up steadily through the day with the cumulative number of shots inoculated in the nation crossing 79.25 crores at 10 pm.

Thanking the citizens of the nation, the Prime Minister tweeted, “Every Indian would be proud of today’s record vaccination numbers. I acknowledge our doctors, innovators, administrators, nurses, healthcare, and all front-line workers who have toiled to make the vaccination drive a success. Let us keep boosting vaccination to defeat COVID-19.”

The Indian Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted in Hindi, “#VaccineSeva a gift to the prime minister on behalf of health workers and people of the country. On the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, India has crossed the historic figure of administering 2 crore vaccine doses in a day, setting a new record. Well done India!”

The government informed that India has crossed Europe in the overall number of vaccine doses administered so far.

On September 17, 2021, the government said, 17 lakh doses were administered per hour, 28,000 doses per minute, and 466 doses per second.

The daily inoculations crossed the one-crore mark for the fourth time in less than a month.

The Indian health minister said that this is the fastest pace at which one crore doses have been administered.

“On PM @Narendra Modi Ji’s birthday, till 1:30 pm, the country has crossed the mark of 1 crore vaccines, the fastest so far, and we are continuously moving forward. I believe that today we will all make a new record of vaccination and give it as a gift to the prime minister,” the minister tweeted in Hindi earlier along with the hashtags “VaccineSeva” and “HappyBdayModiji.”

The daily coronavirus inoculation in the nation crossed 1 crore on September 6, 2021, August 31, and August 27.

The WHO South-East Asia Regional Office (WHO SEARO) also congratulated the country for achieving the milestone.

“Congratulations India for yet another milestone!” WHO SEARO tweeted.

Mandaviya on September 16, 2021 had called for a major push to the nationwide vaccination drive against the coronavirus during Prime Minister Modi’s birthday on September 17, 2021, saying it would be the perfect gift for him.

The nation took 24 days to reach 40 crores from 30 crore shots and then 20 more days to cross the 50-crore inoculation mark on August 6, 2021, it said.

The minister added that it took 19 more days to cross the 60-crore mark and took only 13 days to reach 70 crores from 60 crores on September 7, 2021.