Corona Vaccine New Guidelines: Privatization, Eligibility, Procurement | 10 Points

This came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting during which the government took an important decision of allowing vaccination to everyone above 18 years of age from May 1.

Representational Picture (AFP)

Covid-19 Vaccine For Everyone Above 18 Years: The non-Covid patients can now heave a sigh of relief, as the Centre on Monday announced a liberalised and accelerated Phase 3 strategy of vaccination from May 1, 2021.

This came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting during which the government took an important decision of allowing vaccination to everyone above 18 years of age from May 1.  

Asserting the government has been working hard from over a year to ensure that maximum numbers of Indians are able to get the vaccine in the shortest possible of time, Prime Minister Modi said that India is vaccinating the people at world record pace and added the government will continue this with even greater momentum.

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Below are the ten major decision taken for Phase 3 strategy of the National Covid-19 Vaccination programme:

• Vaccine manufacturers would supply 50% of their monthly Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) released doses to the Centre and would be free to supply the remaining 50% doses to the state governments and in the open market

 

• Manufacturers would transparently make an advance declaration of the price for 50% supply that would be available to the state governments and in the open market before May 1. Based on this price, the state governments, private hospitals, industrial establishments etc. would be able to procure vaccine doses from the manufacturers.

 

• Private Hospitals would have to procure their supplies of Covid-19 vaccine exclusively from the 50% supply earmarked for other than Government of India channel. Private vaccination providers shall transparently declare their self-set vaccination price. The eligibility through this channel would be opened up to all adults, i.e. everyone above the age of 18.

 

• Vaccination shall continue as before in Government of India’s vaccination centres, provided free of cost to the eligible population as defined earlier i.e. Health Care Workers (HCWs), Front Line Workers (FLWs) and all people above 45 years of age.

 

• All vaccination (through Government of India and other than Government of India channel would be part of the National Vaccination Programme and mandated to follow all protocol such as being captured on CoWIN platform, linked to AEFI reporting and all other prescribed norms. Stocks and price per vaccination applicable in all vaccination centres will also have to be reported real-time.

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• The division of vaccine supply - 50% to Government of India and 50% to other than Government of India channel - would be applicable uniformly across for all vaccines manufactured in the country. However, the Government of India will allow the imported fully ready to use vaccines to be entirely utilized in the other than Government of India channel.

 

• Government of India, from its share, will allocate vaccines to the states/UTs based on the criteria of extent of infection (number of active Covid cases) and performance (speed of administration).

 

• Wastage of vaccine will also be considered in this criteria and will affect the criteria negatively. Based on the above criteria, the state-wise quota would be decided and communicated to the states adequately in advance.

 

• Second dose of all existing priority groups i.e. HCWs, FLWs and population above 45 years, wherever it has become due, would be given priority, for which a specific and focused strategy would be communicated to all stakeholders.

 

• This policy would come into effect from May 1 and will be reviewed from time to time.