New Delhi, Dec 30 (PTI) The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 144.45 crore on Thursday, the Union Health Ministry said.

More than 59 lakh doses were administered in the day till 7 pm, it said.

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The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of final reports for the day by late night, the ministry said.

The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 with healthcare workers getting inoculated in the first phase. The vaccination of frontline workers started from February 2.

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The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from March 1 for people above 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified co-morbid conditions.

The country launched vaccination for all people aged more than 45 years from April 1.

The government then decided expand its vaccination drive to include everyone above 18 from May 1.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)