India's Expo 2020 pavilion lit up to mark country's 1.5 billion vaccine milestone

Booster shots will be distributed to front-line staff and the elderly next week

The India pavilion has proven to be one of the top attractions at the world's fair, recording more than 500,000 visits so far. Photo: Indian pavilion

The Indian pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai has been lit up to mark the country’s milestone of administering more than 1.5 billion vaccines.

The facade of the pavilion displayed the message “1.5 billion-plus Covid-19 vaccines done” to visitors over the weekend.

So far, India has allowed two vaccine doses per person and the country will begin distributing booster shots to front-line workers and the elderly next week.

It was reported last week that India was bracing for a third wave of Covid-19 following a surge of cases in larger cities such as New Delhi and Mumbai.

Indian teenagers wait to receive a Covid-19 vaccination at a government school in Gauhati. India has begun vaccinating teenagers in the age group 15 to 18, as more states enforce tighter restrictions to arrest a surge of infections driven by the Omicron variant. AP Photo

A health worker prepares to vaccinate a teenager in Gauhati, India. On Monday, state governments across the country administered doses at schools, hospitals and special vaccination sites amid a rapid rise in coronavirus infections. AP Photo

Indian pupils visit their school for a Covid-19 vaccine dose in Kolkata. EPA

Indian students visit their school for a COVID-19 vaccine dose in Kolkata Eastern India. Indian government announced a Covid-19 vaccine drive for students aged 15 to 18 at their schools from 03 January 2022. EPA

Teenage pupils queue for vaccinations at a government school in Gauhati. AP Photo

A teenager receives a Covaxin Covid-19 vaccine at a government hospital in Hyderabad, India. AP Photo

An Indian teenager after receiving a Covaxin inoculation in Hyderabad. India is experiencing a rapid rise in coronavirus infections, particularly in the country's densely populated cities. AP Photo

Pupils visit their school in Kolkata to be inoculated against Covid-19. EPA

At a government school in Gauhati, India, pupils wait to receive a Covid-19 vaccination, part of a drive to inoculate teenagers in the age group 15 to 18. AP Photo

A teenager after being vaccinated at a government school in New Delhi, India. AP Photo

The India pavilion has proven to be one of the top attractions at the world's fair, recording more than 500,000 visits so far.

The five-storey pavilion is a dynamic, continually moving structure that tells stories about the country’s past and its plans for the future.

The architect who designed the India pavilion at Expo 2020 said his aim was to capture constant change in the country.

“The kinetic facade helps us to keep changing the story so the building talks to people,” Dikshu Kukreja, managing principal at CP Kukreja Architects, previously told The National.

“The multidimensionality and dynamism of the facade allows us to tell a different story of India every time. We wanted to show movement and transformation.

“The moving blocks metaphorically represent an India that is changing constantly."

The pavilion is among a select few structures that will remain after the Expo ends in March.