Andaman and Nicobar Islands achieve 100 pc double dose COVID vaccination

PTI, Dec 19, 2021, 10:17 AM IST

Andaman and Nicobar Islands have achieved 100 per cent double dose COVID vaccination of its target beneficiaries.

The administration said it was the first among the states and Union territories to achieve the feat using only Covishield.

”A&N achieved 100% Covid vaccine coverage making it 1st State/UT to achieve the feat using only Covishield. UT Admin overcame Insurmountable odds for this extraordinary feat in one of the remotest parts of world,” it said in a tweet.

”Vaccination in A&N was extremely challenging as the UT is spread over 836 islands Spread over 800 km from North to South separated by Rough Sea, Extremely Dense jungle, hills & exposed to Inclement weather,” the administration said in another Twitter post.

The vaccination drive in the islands kickstarted with the rest of the country on January 16 this year.

As per a health bulletin, 2.87 lakh people have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine against the target of 2.86 lakh beneficiaries, leading to 100.41 per cent vaccination.

A total of 74.67 per cent of the islands’ total population has been inoculated, it said.

Meanwhile, the islands’ coronavirus caseload rose to 7,701 on Sunday as one more person tested positive for the infection, the health bulletin said.

The new case was detected during contact tracing, it said.

The Union territory now has two active cases, while 7,570 people have recovered from the disease so far, including one in the last 24 hours, and 129 patients have succumbed to the infection to date, the bulletin added.