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MP and Gujarat are at the top of the list; Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu each have a population of slightly over 1 lakh people.

According to preliminary data, almost 41 lakh youngsters received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on Monday, the opening day of the vaccination push for those aged 15 to 18 years.

According to preliminary data, the total vaccination figure reached 146.71 crores, with 41,27,468 doses of Covaxin provided to the 15-18-year-old age group. The active caseload has reached 1,45,582 cases, with 33,750 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours; the daily positive rate is 3.84 percent.

"Today, we've taken a significant step toward protecting our children from Covid-19. Congratulations to all of my 15-18-year-old buddies who received vaccinations. Their parents should also be congratulated. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "I would encourage more young people to be vaccinated in the coming days."

Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat led the list of vaccines (15-18 years group) on Monday, according to government data. Gujarat reported 5,55,312 doses, while Madhya Pradesh reported 7,71,615 doses. Andhra Pradesh (4,87,269), Karnataka (4,14,723), and Rajasthan (4,14,723) each recorded above 3 lakh doses in this age group (3,57,018).

However, slightly over 1 lakh doses were delivered in this age group in five large states: Uttar Pradesh (1,66,996), Maharashtra (1,81,561), West Bengal (1,03,564), Bihar (1,70,603), and Tamil Nadu (1,70,603). (1,87,710). Odisha (82,756), Himachal Pradesh (72,808), Assam (77,124), Uttarakhand (72,075), and Haryana each administered little over 50,000 doses (66,217).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recommended immunization for children aged 15 to 18 years on December 25, less than a year after India launched one of the world's largest adult Covid-19 vaccination campaigns. The decision was made in the wake of an increase in instances of the highly transmissible Omicron strain in various parts of the country, as well as the gradual reopening of schools and universities.

On Sunday, a day before the rollout, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya met with state health officials and asked them to ensure that vaccination team members for the 15-18-year-old age range were properly trained and that specific session sites were identified.

Because Covaxin is the only vaccination approved for this age range, the states were advised to plan ahead for its delivery to the designated sites. "Separate CVCs, session sites, queues, and separate vaccination teams need to be aimed at to avoid vaccines being mixed up during administration," Mandaviya instructed the states.

The Union Health Ministry released a statement on Monday, just hours after certain media reports claimed that outdated vaccines were being provided, claiming that the accusations were "false and deceptive and based on insufficient information." The vaccine shelf life is "extended by the national regulator based on rigorous analysis and examination of stability study data given by the vaccine makers," according to the ministry.

"In response to M/s Bharat Biotech International Limited's letter no: BBIL/RA/21/567, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) approved the extension of the shelf life of Covaxin from 9 months to 12 months on October 25, 2021. The shelf life of Covishield was also extended by the National Regulator from 6 to 9 months on February 22, 2021," according to the government.