The Union health ministry has announced that India's coronavirus vaccination drive will begin on January 16 and that priority will be given to healthcare workers and frontline workers, including doctors, community health workers and police officials.

The announcement comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with senior officials to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic situation in the country. Following healthcare workers and frontline workers, priority will be given to those above 50 years of age and those below 50 years of age with co-morbidities. Around 30 crore people are expected to get vaccinated in the first phase. On January 3, two vaccines - Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield manufactured by Serum Institute of India - were approved by India for 'restricted emergency use.'

In his address to the nation earlier today, PM Modi mentioned that India was ready to save humanity with two "made in India" coronavirus vaccines. He said, "When India got Independence then it was said that such a poor and under-literate country will disintegrate and democracy was impossible here. Today's truth is that India is united and if democracy is most strong, vibrant and lively anywhere in the world, it is in India. Being the pharmacy of the world, India has supplied important medicines to all those in need in the world in the past and is also doing so now. The world is not only waiting for Indian vaccines but is also watching how India runs the world biggest vaccination programme."

Following the United States, India leads the list of countries infected with Covid-19. The country has registered 1,04,31,639 cases of the infection so far while as many as 1,50,798 people succumbed to the illness.