New Delhi, Sep 22 (PTI) The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 83 crore on Wednesday, the Union health ministry said.

More than 64 lakh (64,98,274) vaccine doses were administered till 7 pm on Wednesday, it said, adding that the tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final report for the day by late night.

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The vaccination exercise as a tool to protect the most vulnerable population groups in the country from COVID-19 continues to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level, the ministry underlined.

The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 with healthcare workers (HCWs) getting inoculated against the viral disease in the first phase. The vaccination of frontline workers (FLWs) started from February 2.

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

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

The government then decided to expand the vaccination drive by allowing everyone above 18 years of age to be inoculated 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)