"1 Crore Covid Vaccines To Be Available Per Day By Mid-July": ICMR Chief

ICMR chief Dr Balram Bhargava also said testing and containment had helped control the second wave but warned that such measures "are not a sustainable solution"

One crore Covid vaccines will be available every day by mid-July, or early-August, ICMR chief Dr Balram Bhargava said Tuesday afternoon, as the centre doubled down on its stated aim of vaccinating the whole country - around 108 crore people - by the end of the year. Pointing to the large population, Dr Bhargava called for patience as existing manufacturers scale up capacity, and the newer ones find their feet, and said he did not anticipate a shortage in the future. He also said increased testing and strict containment had helped control the second wave but warned against relying on such measures, saying that "it is not a sustainable solution". "There is NO shortage of vaccines. This (shortage) is what you feel if you want to be vaccinated within a month (but) our population if four times that of the United States. Need to have some patience... by mid-July, or early-August, we'll have enough doses for a crore a day," he said.