COVID-19 Vaccine: All You Need To Know Before May 1 When Every Indian Adult Is Eligible For Jab
As the country grapples with a worrying second wave of coronavirus infections, India¡¯s entire adult population, estimated at a staggering 842 million, is set to become eligible to take the COVID-19 vaccine.On May 1, the vaccination drive will expand to the country's adult population, at a staggering 842 million and between the ages of 18 and 45, registrations for which will begin from April 28, 2021.
Here's all that you need to know:
1. No walk-ins
Vaccination of citizens in the age group of 18 to 44 will only be done in the order of appointments through CoWIN and Aarogya Setu apps, said the central government. This means that eligible recipients will not be able to receive the jab through a walk-in registration facility in the initial stages of the third phase.
2. Fee to be paid
On Saturday, the Centre said a system through which Covid-19 vaccines are being supplied to private Covid Vaccination Centres will cease to exist from May 1. This will also include the collection of a fee of Rs 250 per dose.
Private hospitals or Covid Vaccination Centres will have to procure the vaccines directly from the manufacturers. Both Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech have released a list of prices.? ??
3. Still free for frontline workers?
India has already administered 14.09 crore doses of the two vaccines approved for emergency use - Covishield and Covaxin. However, the government has clarified that those above 45 years of age can still avail the facility of on-site registration to get the life-saving jab. Vaccination will remain free of cost for healthcare and frontline workers as before.
4. States offering it for free
At least 24 Indian states have announced that they will vaccinate their population free of cost. While some states have made the vaccine free for all, others have clarified it will be free for people between the age of 18-45 only.??
The states include Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Sikkim, Bengal, Assam; Goa, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Odisha, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Uttarakhand.
While vaccinations have been slow compared to the Centre's target, the country has clocked over two lakh cases daily in the past few days. Recently, the government fast-tracked approvals for foreign vaccines cleared in other countries.
