India Vaccinates Record 1m Against Virus In A Day

UAE reports 2,742 new cases, 17 deaths and administers 35,674 doses of vaccine; Kuwait to impose curfew, close parks as cases rise; EU opens way for Russian jabs; African nations to begin vaccination drive by end of March, says WHO.

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India reached a milestone on Thursday, vaccinating over a million people in a single day against COVID-19.

According to a report by a local TV channel NDTV, some 10.93 lakh people were given the vaccine till 7:00 pm, Health Ministry data showed on Thursday.

The milestone takes the total to 1.77 crores since the country launched the campaign on Jan.16.

The country expanded its vaccination drive from healthcare and frontline workers to seniors above 60 and those over 45 with illnesses and has eased rules for private hospitals to vaccinate people.

The milestone comes amid a surge in cases in Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Karnataka, accounting for 85.51 percent of fresh cases, according to the union health ministry.

The Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced on Thursday 17,407 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 11,139,516.

The reported death toll rose by 89 to 157,435. The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) announced that it conducted 235,797 additional COVID-19 tests and detected 2,742 new cases.