Kerala has given the first dose of Covid vaccine to more than half its population, a minister said.
Kerala has administered the first dose of Covid vaccine to more than half its population, state Health Minister Veena George said on Monday.
She said the government has administered the first dose vaccine to 1,77,88,931 persons till now.
"Today is a significant day for the state. We have administered the first dose vaccine to 50.25 per cent of the 3.54 crore population (projected population for 2021). We have achieved this feat within 213 days. The vaccination in the state started on January 16," the minister said in a release.
Ms George said the state has also administered the second dose vaccine to 67,24,294 persons which is 19 per cent of the total population.
"The percentage of second dose recipients in Kerala is more than double the national average. So far, out of the 130 crore people in India, 55,05,20,038 have been vaccinated, including 42,86,81,772 first dose (32.98 per cent) and 12,18,38,266 second dose (9.37 per cent)," the minister said.
Ms George pointed out that women in the state outnumbered men in receiving the jab.
She said 90 per cent of health workers have received the first dose of vaccine compared to 88 per cent at the national level.
At a COVID-19 evaluation meet held in the presence of a central team visiting the state, Ms George said the second wave of the pandemic was delayed in Kerala and the state government focused on giving treatment to all those who reached hospitals.
"We focused on not to overburden the health system and made necessary arrangements accordingly. We have given instructions to increase the number of testing as the number of cases are increasing," she said.
The minister also told the meet that through the telemedicine facility, assistance was provided to 2,32,397 persons.