More than 1.77 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with states and union territories, and they will receive one lakh more within the next three days, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

The Centre has so far provided, both under the free of cost category and through the direct state procurement category, more than 22 crore vaccine doses (22,00,59,880) to states and UTs, it said.

Of this, the total consumption including wastages is 20,13,74,636 doses, the ministry said, citing data available at 8 am Wednesday.

“More than 1.77 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses (1,77,52,594) are still available with the states and UTs to be administered. Furthermore, 1,00,000 doses are in the pipeline and will be received by the states and UTs within the next three days,” the ministry said.

As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, the Centre has been supporting states and UTs by providing COVID-19 vaccines free of cost, and by also facilitating direct procurement by them, the ministry said.

Vaccination is an integral pillar of the Centre's comprehensive strategy for the containment and management of the pandemic, along with test, track, treat and Covid-appropriate behaviour, the ministry underlined.

The government on May 1 opened up the inoculation drive for a large section of population on May 1 under its ‘Liberalized and Accelerated Phase-3 Strategy of COVID-19 Vaccination'.

Under the strategy, 50 per cent of the total Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) cleared vaccine doses of any manufacturer would be procured by the Government of India every month.

It would continue to make these doses available to the state governments free of cost as was being done earlier, the statement said.