Vaccinations will be given everyone above the age of 18 from May 1, 2021 – the government announced today – after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a series of meetings over India’s surge in Covid cases.
The meeting was held with pharma companies, doctors, Cabinet ministers in charge of health and officials spanning multiple ministries.
Phase 3 of the vaccination drive will begin on May 1st.
All adults can get Covid shots and states can buy doses directly from vaccine-makers in the “liberalised and accelerated Phase 3 strategy of COVID-19 vaccination”.
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 allowed vaccinations only for health workers, frontline workers and those above 45 in a centrally-controlled process.
(Picture Courtesy: Reuters)
