File Photo: Agencies.

NEW DELHI, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- Ten million frontline healthcare workers will be the first people to receive vaccination against the COVID-19 pandemic once the vaccine is available, a local newspaper Indian Express said Tuesday.

The newspaper quoting its sources said a vaccination group of approximately 10 million health workers have been identified.

"We have moved into an advance stage of building a database for the first priority group - frontline healthcare workers - who will receive the first dose during the immunization drive, if and when a particular vaccine is cleared by the Indian regulator for commercial use," the newspaper quoted its sources in the expert group on vaccine administration as saying.

"We have received a substantial response from the states. Ninety-two percent of all government hospitals across all states have provided data. Around 56 percent of private-sector hospitals have provided data," the source said.

Development of COVID-19 vaccine is still in progress.

India's federal health minister Harsh Vardhan last month said COVID-19 vaccines would likely be available in India by early next year.

On Tuesday federal health ministry said the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India has increased to 9,177,840 and the death toll to 134,218.

Globally India is the second worst-hit country by the COVID-19 pandemic.