The stage is set for India's mass vaccination programme from January 16 as the first vials of the Covid-19 vaccine reached 14 cities on Tuesday from Pune-based Serum Institute of India.
Flights from Pune transported the vaccine to Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Shillong, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Chandigarh, while three trucks ferried the shots for Mumbai.
The Centre announced that all vaccine doses it has ordered, 11 million from Serum Institute and 5.5 million from Bharat Biotech, will reach states and Union territories by January 14.