Covid-19: India To Vaccinate All Above 18
Future Medicine India|May 2021
The central government has started vaccination for everyone above the age of 18 from May 1, 2021.
Covid-19: India To Vaccinate All Above 18

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

India’s National Vaccination Strategy has been built on a systematic and strategic end-to-end approach, proactively building capacity across R&D, manufacturing and administration since April 2020. While pushing for scale and speed, it has simultaneously been anchored in the stability necessary to sustainably execute the world’s largest vaccination drive, he further added.

As of now, Emergency Use Authorisation has been granted to two indigenously manufactured vaccines (Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech), and a third vaccine (Sputnik) that while presently manufactured abroad will eventually be manufactured in India.

The government has roped in the private sector in the vaccination drive right from the beginning. Now, as capabilities and processes have stabilized, the public, as well as private sector, has the experience and confidence to rapidly scale up.

IMA welcomes move

Meanwhile, Indian Medical Association has welcomed the government move to vaccinate all above 18 years of age.

The association stated that accordingly, everyone above the age of 18 will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination and also 50% of the vaccine supply is being released to the state governments directly.

IMA had suggested these measures and had advocated the vaccination for all above 18 years of age.

IMA had written a letter to the prime minister requesting that all citizens above 18 years of age shall be permitted to receive COVID-19 vaccination.

This story is from the May 2021 edition of Future Medicine India.

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This story is from the May 2021 edition of Future Medicine India.

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