Govt Announces Vaccine for All Above 18 After May 1, India’s 3rd Phase Covid Vaccination Started
Delhi, 20 April 2021 – Vaccination for all could now just be a reality if implemented properly and on time. The central government has announced vaccination above the age of 18 from 1st of May. The decision was taken after Prime Minister Modi’s meeting with top doctors. The move is coming at a time when India’s registering over two lakh cases daily.
India on Monday announced the next big step in its vaccination drive. From May 1, everyone above the age of 18 can line up to be vaccinated. The decision came after a series of meetings held by the Prime Minister with health experts and pharma firms.
Necessity is there. Because then the second wave, what we are seeing is more and more patients in the younger age group, that more casualties are happening in the age group of 20 to 45. And which is a really sad thing.
And even the children are getting affected now, it is practically a community spread. I mean, you don’t know from where who is what infected where. Entire families are getting infected. So immunization will play an important role. The third phase of India’s vaccine plan also saw a much more liberalized and accelerated strategy to inoculate people.
It’s a very great initiative because you see that more than 65% of the population is below 35 years. And that’s like the majority. So it’s a great step. It’s a great initiative taken by the government and I think it only makes sense for people who are 18 and above to get vaccinated now.
The center has asked vaccine makers to scale up production by 50%. Manufacturers can now release 50% of their production to states. States are now empowered to procure doses directly from the makers at a pre-decided price. The government’s move comes amid heated showdowns between the center and state government over vaccine supply.
Several states including Maharashtra, Bengal, Delhi, have claimed acute shortage of doses and cried discrimination. But this new phase from May 1 will also be the most difficult from vaccine distribution to administering the doses to such a vast population. India’s health sector, we’ll be up against a challenging task.
