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India begins third phase of vaccination drive by including all above 45
Covid vaccines will be offered throughout the month of April, including gazetted holidays, at both the private and public Covid vaccination centres. The Centre has written to all states to make necessary arrangements for the same, aiming to exponentially expand the countrywide vaccination drive
India began the third phase of its Covid-19 vaccination drive on Thursday by opening it up to people above 45 years, irrespective of comorbidities. This, experts said, will not only improve overall vaccination numbers, but will also help in slowing down disease transmission as the country grapples with the second wave of infection. India recorded its highest-single day rise in cases since October 2020, as per the Union health ministry data on Thursday.
Union health ministry issued a statement on Thursday on including those aged 45+ in the vaccination drive which read, “This step has been taken after detailed deliberations with the States/Union Territories on 31st March, 2021, to optimally utilise all Covid Vaccination Centres across the public and private sectors to ensure rapid increase in the pace and coverage of Covid vaccination. This decision is in line with the graded and pro-active approach employed by the Government of India along with the States/UTs for Covid-19 vaccination.”
Earlier, explaining the process of registering for vaccine shot, a senior health ministry official who did not wish to be identified, said, “People who are eligible will be able to register, and book appointments, on the Co-Win portal and through the Aarogya Setu app from April 1, when the facility will be thrown open for the 45-plus category also. It will be a massive number, and we urge eligible beneficiaries to come forward and get vaccinated. Safety and efficacy of both the vaccines approved for use in India has been well established.”
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Covid vaccines will be offered throughout the month of April, including gazetted holidays, at both the private and public Covid vaccination centres. The Centre has written to all states to make necessary arrangements for the same, aiming to exponentially expand the countrywide vaccination drive.
Walk-in registrations will also be open, but only after 3pm.Since government-specified comorbidity isn’t a criterion anymore,a medical certificate from a registered medical practitioner is not required. Vaccination is being held in close to 50,000 centres across the country, of which about 6,000 are in the private sector.
Earlier, only people 45 years and above with government-specified comorbidities, individuals aged 60 years and above, and healthcare and frontline workers were eligible for vaccination.However, around 88% of Covid-19 deaths in the country have been reported from the 45+ age group, prompting the government’s decision to open the drive further to include this age group as well.
At least 65 million vaccine doses have been administered in the country since the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination began on January 16 with healthcare workers as the beneficiaries. Vaccination of frontline workers began on February 2. The second phase started on March 1 to also include people above 60 and those between 45 and 59 years of age with specific comorbidities. So far, first doses of vaccine have been administered to 8,260,293 healthcare workers, and 5,250,704 have got the second dose as well. As many as 9,174,171 frontline workers have taken the first dose and 3,945,796 of them have got the second dose as well.
Meanwhile, amid the surge in Covid cases, India recorded 72,330 new infections within 24 hours, taking its total tally to 12,221,665.As per the Union health ministry data updated at 8am, the single-day rise in cases is the highest since October 11, 2020. The death toll rose to 162,927 with 459 single-day new casualties, the highest in 116 days. Maharashtra reported the highest daily new cases at 39,544, followed by Chhattisgarh with 4,563, and Karnataka reported 4,225 new cases.The country’s active caseload reached 584,055.
Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, and Punjab account for 78.9% of the total active cases in the country.
