Covid-19 Vaccine To Be Available To All Above 18 Years Of Age

As a significant step, the Indian government has announced that the vaccine would now be available to all people above the age of 18 from 1 May 2021. The country is looking forward to the world’s largest vaccine drive. The centre has stated that the pricing, procurement ,eligibility and administration would be more flexible in the third phase. The states have received permission to directly get the vaccines from the manufacturers.  Union territories and States have acquired the luxury to procure additional corona virus vaccine from the producers and open up vaccinations to any category of people above the age of 18. The centres vaccine drive will continue as before ensuring doses to essential and priority populations like i.e healthcare workers, frontline workers and population above 45 years of age.

The decision was taken after the Prime Minister held a meeting with leading doctors and top pharma companies. PM also added that the government has been working from a year to ensure that all Indians are able to get the vaccine in the shortest time period possible.

 The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) had given the emergency use authorisation for two COVID-19 vaccines – Covishield of Oxford-AstraZeneca being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin in January 20 2021

The Indian regulator has also given permission to restrict the emergency use of Sputnik-V Vaccine. Dr. Reddys laboratories received approval from DCGI for the restricted emergency use of Sputnik V vaccine. The first batch of this vaccine is expected to be delivered to India by April-end.

PHASE 3 VACCINATION HIGHLIGHTS

1. The vaccine manufacturers will supply 50 percent of the drug to Central Drug Laboratory and the remaining to the state government and in the open market.
2. Advance declarations of the price would be made with the state government by the manufacturers. This would be done before 1 May 2021. Based on the vaccine cost the state government, private hospitals and industrial establishments would be able to procure vaccine from the producers. Private vaccination providers can declare the prices of vaccines themselselve while the eligibility would be open to all the people above 18 years of age. 
3. Free vaccination for frontline workers, health care workers and people above the age of 45 would continue as before.
4. All vaccination  would mandatorily be a part of the National Vaccination Programme and would compulsorily have to follow all the protocols. The protocols include being captured on CoWIN Platform ,linked to AEFI reporting and all other prescribed norms. The details about stocks and price per vaccination will also have to be reported in real time. 
5. The division in vaccine supply i.e 50 per cent to the centre and 50 per cent to the state would be applicable to all the vaccine manufacturers. However Government of India will allow the imported fully ready to use vaccines to be entirely utilized in other than the Indian government channel. 
6. The government of India will allocate vaccines to the states as per infection rates and performance. Vaccine wastage will also be considered here and that would affect the criteria negatively. The above criteria would decide the state wise quota and communicate with  the states would be done in advance. 
7. Second dose of all existing priority groups i.e Health care workers, Front Line workers, and citizens above 45 years of age, wherever it has become due would be given priority.