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All adults in Delhi to get free booster shots: Govt
A senior health department official said the decision was taken since the Delhi government wants all adults to have access to free doses, which the Union government offers only to those aged 60 and above.
The Delhi government began administering booster doses to those under the age of 60 for free on Thursday, a move that means that all adults in the national capital can now get their third shots free of charge at centres run by the state government.
Third shots, or precaution doses, are free by the central government only for people above the age of 60 and those in health care and high-risk jobs such as police.
On the first day of the free boosters, 10,901 people in the 18-60 age group got the free shots at government-run vaccination centres, while 3,342 people paid for their doses at private facilities till 5.30pm, a Delhi government official said.
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“In order to give the benefit of precaution dose to all eligible beneficiaries in Delhi, the same will be available for 18 to 59 years’ age group, free of cost in all government Covid vaccination centres from April 21,” stated an order issued by Dr Monika Rana, director, Directorate of Family Welfare of the Delhi government.
A senior health department official said the decision was taken since the Delhi government wants all adults to have access to free doses, which the Union government offers only to those aged 60 and above.
Around two million people are currently eligible to take precaution doses as long as it has been more than nine months since they completed their primary vaccination (when they took their second dose).
The administration of precaution doses began across the country on April 10 and the response was slow initially in the national capital but has gradually picked up.
As on Thursday night, a total of 612,906 precaution doses have been administered in the national capital since then.
Around 500-600 session sites at various government facilities are open, while private ones offer 80-100 session sites, said the official quoted above, who asked not to be named.
The government has made necessary changes in Co-WIN for Delhi which will offer both online appointment and walk-in appointment for the jab, an official said.
“It is not necessary to register any citizen afresh for administration of precaution dose. The vaccinator will locate the existing vaccination record of the beneficiary, verify the records and match them with the identity of the beneficiary, confirm from the citizen if the information available on the Co-WIN system is correct, and after the successful verification, administer the precaution dose,” said a district immunisation officer who supervises the vaccination programme at the district level, asking not to be named.
As per central government rules, people will be allowed to take a third dose of their primary vaccination course only – in other words, those vaccinated with Covishield for their first and second doses will be allowed to take the same dose for their third ones.
Health experts have underlined the significance of precaution doses since immunity wanes six months onwards.
Dr Jugal Kishore, head of the department of community medicine at Safdarjung Hospital, said: “Since Covid cases are once again rising, it is important that every eligible person should take booster doses of Covid vaccine at the right time. It will safeguard people especially those who have co-morbidities.”
“Meanwhile, precautions against Covid-19 usually called as non-pharmacological measures such as social distancing, use of mask, hand washing with soap or sanitizer, good hygiene. These steps are decreasing the load of virus going to human body,” Dr Kishore added.
