5 big decisions from PM Modi’s review meeting on Covid – 19
The states have been empowered to procure additional doses of Covid-19 directly from the manufacturers, as well as open up vaccination to any category of people above the age of 18.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a high-level meeting on the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) situation in the country, where he ordered expanding the scope of vaccination drive and include everyone above the age of 18.
This is the latest meeting held by PM Modi on the Covid-19 situation, and comes at a time when there is an explosive surge in the number of daily cases of Covid-19.
India reported over 270,000 infections on Monday, its highest daily rise since the pandemic started. It has now recorded more than 15 million infections, and is just behind the United States in terms of Covid-19 spread.
Here are the five big decisions taken at PM Modi’s meeting:
- Everyone above the age of 18 will get Covid-19 vaccine from May 1. PM said that 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. He added that India is vaccinating people at world record pace and we will continue this with even greater momentum.
- On pricing, procurement, eligibility and administration of vaccines: These have been made flexible in phase 3 of the nationwide vaccination drive. The national vaccine strategy aims at liberalised vaccine pricing and scaling up of vaccine coverage.
- The states have been empowered to procure additional doses of Covid-19 directly from the manufacturers, as well as open up vaccination to any category of people above the age of 18.
- The vaccine manufacturers have also been empowered to release up to 50 per cent of their supply to state governments and in the open market at a pre-declared price. But they will have to supply 50 per cent of their monthly central drugs laboratory (CDL) released doses to government of India.
- Further, the vaccine manufacturers will be incentivised to further scale up their production, as well as attract new national and international players. However, the inoculation drive will continue as before in government of India’s vaccination centres, and will be provided free of cost to the eligible population as defined earlier: healthcare workers, frontline workers and all people above 45 years of age, the Centre said.
