Published 16:17 IST, March 3rd 2021
COVID-19 vaccination available 24x7 from now, says Health Minister Harsh Vardhan
Harsh Vardhan tweeted that the Centre has removed time constraints for increasing the speed of vaccination and people will now get vaccinated 24X7.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Wednesday that the Centre has removed time constraints for increasing the speed of vaccination and people will now get vaccinated 24X7.
While replying to a report by a Hindi newspaper, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan tweeted, "The government has removed time constraints to increase the speed of vaccination. People can get vaccinated 24x7 at their convenience. Prime Minister Narendra Modi understands the value of both time and health of citizens."
On Tuesday, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had said, "The CoWIN portal has no 9 am to 5 pm vaccination system. It allows hospitals to vaccinate for as long as they want, even till 8 pm they can vaccinate. They can start as early as 8 am if they want. They will have to coordinate with the state government for schedule and capacity."
Phase 2 of the vaccination drive begins
On March 1, the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination program started at over 10,000 designated government facilities and 20,000 private hospitals and vaccination centres on Monday. While the first phase of the Coronavirus vaccination drive focused on healthcare and frontline workers, the second phase is dedicated to those above 60 years of age and those above 45 years with co-morbidities. The Union Ministry announced that the pricing for a COVID-19 vaccine dose has been capped at Rs 250 at private hospitals. Meanwhile, like the first phase, doses will be available free of cost at government centres with the Centre bearing the cost of the inoculation.
On January 3, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) granted permission for its restricted use in an emergency situation. Covaxin is one of the two Covid-19 vaccines approved for emergency use in India, the second is Serum Institute of India's Covishield. The interim results of the clinical trials indicated that the Indian COVID-19 vaccines would be effective against the mutated virus strains reported from the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Bharat Biotech has signed an agreement with Brazil for the supply of 20 million doses of the Covaxin vaccine. US-based biopharmaceutical firm Ocugen Inc has also sealed an agreement with Bharat Biotech to co-develop, supply, and commercialize Covaxin for the United States' market.
Updated 16:17 IST, March 3rd 2021