The second dose of coronavirus vaccine will be administered from February 13, on those who took the first shot on January 16, the day inoculation process was launched, the health ministry said on Saturday.

The ministry, in an official release, stated that the Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan reviewed the status and progress of the vaccination process on Saturday. Bhushan highlighted that India was the fastest among all countries to administer 50 lakh vaccines, achieving the feat in 21 days.

He also urged various states and Union Territories to increase the pace of vaccination “exponentially”. He pointed out that 12 states and Union Territories had achieved 60% or more vaccination coverage of healthcare workers, who were among the first to receive the shot.

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Bhushan asked states to ensure that all healthcare workers were vaccinated at least once before February 20 and all frontline workers before March 6 and then arrange for their second jabs. In case, a healthcare or frontline worker does not get the second shot, the person will be added to the next category of beneficiaries – the elderly citizens, Bhushan said.

‘25 countries waiting for made in India vaccines’

Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said that as many as 25 countries were in waiting to receive coronavirus vaccines made in India, reported PTI.

“I think right now we have already supplied to about 15 countries,” Jaishankar said. “ I would say there would be another about 25 countries which are at different stages in the pipeline.”

The minister said that some of the poorer countries are being supplied the vaccine on a grant basis while some nations wanted it on par with the price that the Indian government paid to the vaccine makers. A third category of countries have direct contracts with the Indian vaccine producing companies and have negotiated commercially, he said, according to PTI.