India surpasses US in coronavirus vaccination

New Delhi : In 163 days, India has successfully vaccinated more than 35 crore people, surpassing the United States in terms of total number of vaccinations.

"India has taken a distinct lead in total vaccine doses administered in the world. India surpassed the US and took 163 days to reach the 32 crore benchmark. The US took 193 days," the Union health ministry official said in a weekly press briefing.

Giving a break-down, health ministry's joint secretary Lav Agarwal said, "A total of 27.27crore people covered with the first dose of vaccine and 5.84 crore people covered with the second dose of vaccine."

According to the official, from May 1 to June 24, 56% of the total vaccine was given in rural areas and 44% were administered in the urban areas.

With coronavirus cases falling after the second wave, the recovery rate in India now stands at 96.9%.

"There has been a continuous decline in cases since India reported a peak, including a progressive decrease in cases in districts," Agarwal said.