Vaccination drive for those over 60 and above 45 with comorbidities to start from Mar 1

The second phase COVID-19 vaccination drive for those aged above 60 years and those above 45 years of age with co-morbidities, will begin from March 1.

Addressing the media on the Cabinet decisions on Wednesday, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the second phase will be held at 10,000 government centres and 20,000 private centres. 

The vaccination will be free of cost for those going to government facilities. “The Indian government will pay for them. The Union government will purchase the necessary doses and distribute it to the states,” the Union Minister said.

However, the vaccine will not be free for those taking the vaccine from private facilities. They will have to pay for the vaccine. “The amount for the vaccine will be decided and declared by the Health Ministry within three to four days, after discussing with manufacturers and hospitals,” he added. 

There are around 10 crore people above the age of 60 in India, Javadekar said.