Vaccine for all above 18 starting May 1

Date

May 1 onwards, vaccines will be made available for all citizens above the age of 18, announced the government after PM Modi held a series of meetings today. In a ‘liberalised and accelerated phase 3’, the vaccine will be provided to every citizen above the age of 18.

So far, the government had allowed vaccinations only for frontline workers and those above 45.

Vaccine For All Above 18 Starting May 1

All adults will be vaccinated in “a liberalised and accelerated Phase 3 strategy of COVID-19 vaccination”, the government said in a statement on a day India reported a new record high of 2.73 lakh cases in a day.

India began inoculating people in January using two Covid vaccines – Serum Institute of India’s Covishield developed by Oxford-AstraZeneca and Bharat Biotech’s made-in-India Covaxin. So far, the government had carried out two phases of vaccination and allowed only for frontline workers and those above 45.

“Government has been working hard from over a year to ensure that maximum numbers of Indians are able to get the vaccine in the shortest possible of time,” PM Modi said.

Key points:

  • Vaccine manufacturers will supply 50 per cent of their monthly Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) released doses to the central government and will be free to supply the remaining 50% doses to state governments and in the open market.
  • Manufacturers can declare prices in advance and sell the vaccine in the open market.
  • Based on this price, state governments, private hospitals, industrial establishments can buy vaccine doses from the manufacturers.
  • Vaccinations at central government centres, provided free of cost, will continue for previous categories – health workers, frontline workers and those above 45.
  • State governments can procure vaccine directly from manufacturers.
  • The second dose for existing priority groups will be priority.