Shri Dattatraya, while congratulating people and government of the state on the successful campaign of Covid-19 vaccination drive in the country on the National Immunization Day

Chandigarh, March 15, 2022: Haryana Governor Shri Bandaru Dattatraya has stressed the need for 100 per cent vaccination of pregnant mothers and new born children to save them from serious diseases, which will ultimately bring down the maternal and infant mortality rate significantly and help us build a healthy and happy India.

Shri Dattatraya, while congratulating people and government of the state on the successful campaign of Covid-19 vaccination drive in the country on the National Immunization Day, said that this has been possible with the cooperation of the people. The country has been saved with indigenously made vaccines – Covaxin and Covishield – to check Covid-19. These vaccines have also been sent to over 90 countries.

The Governor said that so far 181 crore first and second doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been given in India, out of which 98 crore have been given the first and more than 81 crore people have been given the second dose. As many as 5.68 crore doses of vaccines have been administered to the children in the age group of 15 to 18 years.

“The booster dose is being given to the people above 60 years of age at a rapid pace. Starting from today on the National Immunization Day, children in the age group of 12 to 14 years will be vaccinated to save them from Covid-19,” he said.

Shri Dattatraya said that the vaccination campaign in Haryana has also been very successful. 414 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been given in the state. These include 228 lakh first and 182 lakh second doses. Covid-19 is on the verge of defeat due to effective vaccination in the country. In the last 24 hours, about 2400 people were found infected with Covid-19, which is the lowest figure in the last 11 months.

He said that Covid-19 vaccination campaign has been successful at the national level thanks to the strong leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji and the commitment of the scientists and doctors of the country. Prime Minister Shri Modi himself went to the labs of vaccine manufacturers in Ahmedabad, Pune and Hyderabad to review the formulation of Covid-19 vaccine and congratulated the scientists.

Currently, Biological E Limited led by Dr Mahima Datla, is engaged in manufacturing Corbevax vaccine, which will be administered to children in the age group of 12 to 14 years. He lauded the efforts of Serum Institute of India, Pune, Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad, Zydus Cadila, Ahmedabad, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Hyderabad and Panacea Biotec, New Delhi for their sustained efforts in making India a global leader in developing and manufacturing vaccines.

Shri Dattatraya said that Central Research Institute (CRI), Kasauli in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, is a globally famed entity dedicated to research, development and manufacture of vaccines. Thanks to our collective efforts, anti-polio vaccination has been 100 per cent successful in India. The Universal Immunization Program is also being implemented effectively, he said.

The Governor has appealed to doctors, health workers and the general public to increase the pace of vaccination in rural areas and ensure that all pregnant mothers and new born children get 100 per cent immunized, which will lead to a healthy, happy and wealthy India.