Bengaluru: In a piece of news that will make Uttar Pradesh hold its head high, it’s reported that the state becomes the first in the country to administer 20 lakh vaccines. 

Yogi Adityanath held a meeting in this regard and instructed the officials to update the portal regularly. 

It is reported that the chief minister asked the officials to remain vigilant as the threat of the virus spreading is still present even though there is a significant reduction in the numbers. 

India started inoculating its people in the month of January. Frontline health workers were the first recipients. 

The second phase of the drive began in March with those above the age group of 45 and having comorbidities getting the preference. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took his first jab on March 1. Other senior leaders like Amit Shah followed suit. 

Meanwhile, even as the country inoculates its people, India continues to be the vaccine pharmacy of the world. Till date, it has exported several lakhs of vaccine doses to a myriad countries and continues its promise to deliver more such vaccines to many other countries. 

Opindia notes that India has supplied 464.29 lakh made-in-India Covid-19 vaccines to 47 countries as of Thursday last. Out of these doses, 71.25 lakh were supplied as a gift and 393.04 lakh were supplied commercially.

Quite naturally, several tall leaders across the globe have thanked India profusely for its magnanimity in providing vaccines.

WHO chief Dr Tedros too had hailed India’s contribution.

He had tweeted, “Thanks 🇮🇳 & Prime Minister @narendramodi for supporting #VaccinEquity. Your commitment to #COVAX and sharing #COVID19 vaccine doses is helping 60+ countries start vaccinating their #healthworkers and other priority groups. I hope other countries will follow your example”.

India has also sent vaccines to far-off countries in the Caribbean. The Prime Minister of St Lucia had thanked Modi as well.

He had said, “Thank you to Prime Minister @narendramodi and our friends from India for donating 25,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine to Saint Lucia🇱🇨🇮🇳”.

India, in the true sense, has been the vaccine pharmacy of the world. Though there were some doubts earlier whether India would export vaccines at the cost of its domestic demands, it did send vaccines to other countries.

It is to be noted that India produces 60% of the world’s vaccines and countries wait with bated breath to receive it.

Serum Institute of India Ltd. and Bharat Biotech International Ltd are the ones supplying the vaccines.

India has approved Covishield and Covaxin for emergency use.