New Delhi:
India is prepared for the vaccine rollout, Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned today at a meeting with Chief Ministers to go over the Covid-19 scenario and the states’ preparedness for the enormous inoculation drive that would cover 30 crore people today beginning January 16. “The Centre will bear all the costs for the first phase of vaccination” of wellness workers and frontline workers like the police, civil defence and sanitation workers, PM Modi mentioned in his address, which was live-streamed.
The government has mentioned that one particular crore healthcare workers and about two crore frontline workers will be the 1st to be inoculated. People more than 50 years and these beneath 50 who have comorbidities like diabetes, heart illness and other chronic wellness challenges, will be vaccinated subsequent. The total quantity of this third group will be 27 crore.
“If you look at the number of health and frontline workers across all states, it stands at around 3 crore. It has been decided that state governments will not have to bear the expenses of vaccination of these 3 crore people in the first phase. The government of India will bear these expenses,” PM Modi mentioned.
Sources in Adar Punawalla’s Serum Institute have mentioned that the government may possibly location obtain orders for the vaccine today. The two-dose vaccine will be sold to the government at Rs 200 per dose for the 1st one hundred million doses.
“India’s vaccines are the most cost effective,” the Prime Minister mentioned, adding, “The experience India has on vaccination will be very useful in vaccination process… We have to follow protocols during the entire process”.
The government has performed 3 dry-runs for the vaccine currently, two of them have been held across the nation.
Sources in Pune-primarily based Serum Institute, whose Covishield has received the drug regulator’s approval for emergency use along with Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, mentioned the government may possibly location a obtain order for the vaccine today, at price tag of Rs 200 a vial for the 1st one hundred million doses.