COVID-19 vaccination: People above 45 years can take vaccine from next month

Starting from 1 April, people above 45 years old will be able to take vaccines against novel coronavirus, Union minister Prakash Javadekar announced on Tuesday. "We appeal that all above 45 should take the vaccine as early as possible that will provide them shield against Corona," Javadekar told. India started nationwide COVID-19 vaccination on 16 January with healthcare workers and frontline workers. The list includes health workers, both from government and private institutions, along with sanitation workers, other frontline workers, defence forces, police and other paramilitary forces. In the next phase of COVID-19 inoculation drive commence on 1 March, those who are over 60 years of age and for people aged 45 and above with co-morbid conditions were eligible for vaccinations.

The expenditure was borne by the government in the first round of COVID-19 vaccination. During the second phase, the central government roped in around 10,000 private hospitals to ramp up COVID-19 immunisation drive in the country. Those who opts for COVID-19 vaccination in the private clinics, will have to pay for their doses. Private hospitals functioning as COVID Vaccination Centres (CVCs) may recover a charge subject to a ceiling of ₹250 per person per dose. The vaccination are free at government centres.

India had granted emergency use authorisation to two COVID-19 vaccines — Pune-based Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Ltd’s Covaxin which are being used in the government’s vaccination drive. The central government had earlier said that the two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will be given at an interval of 28 days. The second dose of Covishield can be given up to eight weeks after the first, the Union health ministry said in a statement on Monday. However, the increased interval does not apply to Covaxin.

"As per the advice by scientists and world scientist bodies, second dose can be administered between fourth and eighth weeks, particularly for Covishield," said Javadekar. The doctors will decide the schedule of the second dose of COVID-19 vaccines, he added. The effectiveness of the vaccine will start only after 14 days of receiving the second dose, the health secretary said earlier.

Over 4.7 crore people received COVID-19 vaccine doses so far, the health ministry said on Monday. On safety, Covishield and Covaxin are thesafest of the vaccines, said Dr VK Paul, member of Niti Aayog.