618.5 million doses administered in WHO South-East Asia Region, 489 million doses administered in India

As much as 618.5 million vaccine doses have been administered in the World Health Organisation (WHO) South-East Asia Region till August 6, in which the maximum number of doses around 489 million have been administered in India, WHO observed.

As many as 146 million people have received two vaccine doses in India.

The maximum 489 million doses have been administered in India, which reached 8.6 million people on day one of its reinvigorated campaigns in June, a release by WHO read.

Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region said, "Countries across the region are making unprecedented efforts to reach more and more people with life-saving COVID-19 vaccines demonstrating their commitment to containing the pandemic at the earliest. We must continue these and also, stringently implement public health and social measures."

Other than India, the figures of other southeast Asian countries have also been shared by WHO.

It says Indonesia, which was first in the region to launch COVID-19 vaccination drive, has administered 71 million doses, followed by 18 million doses in Thailand.

Thailand also scores for vaccinating 84 per cent of its health workforce.

Sri Lanka has administered 13 million doses and has been consistently reaching out to 500,000 people per day with COVID-19 vaccination, recently.

Bangladesh is scaling up vaccination and also preparing to vaccinate Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar.

Bhutan has achieved coverage of 70 per 100 population with the first dose and 62 per 100 population with two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, the highest in the region so far.

The Maldives has vaccinated half its population with two doses and nearly 60 per 100 coverage with one dose of COVID-19 vaccine whereas Nepal has vaccinated more than 70 per cent of its health and frontline workers and elderly population with at least one dose of the vaccine.

Countries in the region are administering Astra Zeneca, Covaxin, Janssen, Moderna, Sinopharm, Sinovac, Sputnik V, and Pfizer following emergency use authorisation being granted by their national regulatory authorities.

"Countries in the region are striving to achieve WHO's goal of having 10 per cent of the population fully vaccinated by September end, 40 per cent by the end of this year, and 70 per cent by mid-2022," the Regional Director said.

The director in furtherance added, "This is also the time to closely evaluate vaccination coverage data to see who is being left out, where, and why."

More than half a billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in WHO South-East Asia Region, with more vaccine doses becoming available and countries scaling up efforts to rapidly expand coverage amid a recurrent surge in cases.

A tailored communication approach, just as childhood immunisation is required along with working closely with communities for uptake of vaccines and successful implementation of public health and social measures, Dr. Khetrapal said.

( With inputs from ANI )