India exported over 65 mn doses of Covid vaccines to nearly 100 countries this year

New Delhi: India exported more than 65 million doses of Covid vaccines to nearly 100 countries this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, asserting that the global trust earned by the Indian healthcare sector has led to the country being called the "pharmacy of the world".

Speaking after inaugurating the first global innovation summit of the pharmaceutical sector, Modi said India's vision is to create an eco-system for innovation that will make the country a leader in drug discovery and innovative medical devices.

"Our policy interventions are being made based on wide consultations with all stakeholders," he said.

Employing nearly three million people and with a trade surplus of $13 billion, the pharma sector is a key driver of India's economic growth, Modi said.

India's healthcare sector attracted foreign direct investment (FDI) of over $12 billion since 2014 and there is potential for much more, he said.

He called upon the industry to work to ramp up domestic manufacturing of key ingredients for vaccines and medicines, saying "this is one frontier that India has to conquer".

Noting that India has a large pool of scientists and technologists with a potential to take the industry to greater heights, Modi said this strength needs to be harnessed to "discover and make in India".

"Today, when 1.3 billion people of India have taken it upon themselves to make India 'aatmanirbhar', we must think about ramping up domestic manufacturing of key ingredients for vaccines and medicines," he asserted.

"I invite you all to ideate in India, innovate in India, make in India and make for the world. Discover your true strength and serve the world," Modi said in his remarks at the summit.

He noted that whether it is lifestyle, or medicines, or medical technology, or vaccines, every aspect of healthcare has received global attention over the last two years.

In this context, the Indian pharmaceutical industry has also risen to the challenge, Modi said.

With 11,919 fresh cases, India's COVID-19 tally has climbed to 3,44,78,517 out of which 3,38,85,132 people have recuperated from the disease, while the number of active cases has gone up to 1,28,762.

The death toll due to the viral disease has shot up to 4,64,623 with 470 more fatalities that include 388 from Kerala and 32 from Maharashtra, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.35 per cent, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am.

Of the 388 fatalities in Kerala, 61 were reported over the last few days and the remaining 327 were designated as COVID-19 deaths after receiving appeals based on the new guidelines of the Centre and Supreme Court directions, according to a release issued by the state government.

The daily rise in the number of coronavirus cases has been below 20,000 for 41 straight days now and less than 50,000 fresh cases have been reported for 144 consecutive days.

The number of active cases of the infection has gone up to 1,28,762, accounting for 0.37 per cent of the total caseload, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.28 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said.

An increase of 207 cases in the active COVID-19 caseload was recorded in a span of 24 hours, it added.

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.97 per cent. It has been less than two per cent for 45 consecutive days.

The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 0.94 per cent. It has been below two per cent for the last 55 days, according to the health ministry.

Meanwhile, the total number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 115 crore on Thursday.

According to officials, around 82 per cent of the eligible population in India has received the first dose of the vaccine while more than 41 per cent has been fully inoculated.

In a tweet, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said, "The country is getting protected through vaccination every day. As India's vaccination coverage crosses the 115 crore mark, PM Narendra Modi ji's words ring true -- once Indians decide to do something, nothing is impossible! Har Ghar Dastak strengthening the world's largest vaccination drive!"

On Thursday, more than 65 lakh (65,45,982) vaccine doses have been administered till 7 pm.