PM: One Oppn party was unhappy over record jabs

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 18

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the record-setting 2.5 crore Covid vaccine doses that India delivered yesterday had made his 71st birthday unforgettable.

“Birthdays will come and go but yesterday will remain etched on my memory like an unforgettable day when we did what even the major nations haven’t been able to do. Everyone was constantly looking at the vaccine tracker filled with pride. On Friday India delivered 15.62 lakh vaccine doses per hour, 26,000 doses per minute and 434 doses per second,” said the PM, addressing Covid health workers in Goa, which is one of the few states and UTs where adults have been fully covered with the first vaccine dose.

Unforgettable Birthday

Birthdays will come and go, but Sept 17 will remain etched in my memory like an unforgettable day when we did what even the major nations haven’t been able to do. —Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

In a veiled swipe at the Congress, the PM noted that “a certain political party had fever yesterday when the country crossed a vaccine milestone”. He said people often did not realise the vast logistics that went into delivering one crore doses a day.

Yesterday, India delivered 82 per cent of all the doses that were administered worldwide (2.27 crore) while the rest of the world delivered 18 per cent doses (54 lakh).

“India set a new record yesterday delivering more than 4/5th of the doses given worldwide,” the government said. The PM earlier said India’s record vaccination was a reflection of India’s prowess and would be judged as such. “It is our duty to sing praises of this record,” said the PM.

He added that going forward the government would give greater priority to tourism dominant states in its inoculation drive. He also cautioned people not to take the virus lightly.

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