Centre on Monday announced a liberalised and accelerated phase 3 strategy of Covid-19 vaccination making eligible everyone above the age of 18 years to get the jab from May 1 and allowed vaccine manufacturers to release up to 50 per cent of their supply to the state governments and in the open market at a pre-declared price.
The announcement came after several important decisions were taken in back-to-back meetings chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi including on pricing, procurement, eligibility and administration of vaccines.
The meetings were held to fine-tune the counter Covid strategy as several states pressed the panic button citing lack of oxygen and medicines and suggested going for full scale lockdown after India's total tally of Covid-19 cases crossed the 1.50-crore mark with around 25 lakh cases being added in just 15 days, while active cases surpassed the 19-lakh mark.
After a crucial over-all review meeting in the morning, Modi held separate meeting with the doctors and top pharma companies across the country in the evening.
The Centre made a slew of announcements making the world’s largest vaccination drive, a much more flexible exercise with directly involving the stakeholders and states in the phase 3 drive.
Modi said 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.
In the latest phase, all stakeholders have been given flexibility to customise to local needs and states have been empowered to procure additional vaccine doses directly from the manufacturers, as well as open up vaccination to any category of people above the age of 18 for the same.
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A government statement said that GoI vaccination drive will continue as before, providing free vaccination for essential and priority populations as defined earlier-- for the Health Care Workers (HCWs), (Front Line Workers) and population above 45 years.
In the phase I vaccination drive, the HCW, FLW and people aged 60 years and above and those 45 years and above with comorbidity were included for vaccination, while in the phase II, the age for vaccination for the general population was lowered to 45.
A number of states and stakeholders were demanding to bring down the age further and vaccinate all even if it is a paid option. Recent studies have also shown the second wave witnessed many young people contracting the disease, especially, those aged between 18 and 45, who go out for work.
By opening up the jab for people above 18 years, the Centre has met their demands.
The government said that vaccine manufacturers have been incentivised to further scale up their production, as well as attract new national and international players.
In the earlier meeting with the nation’s leading doctors, Modi said that vaccination is the biggest weapon in the fight against coronavirus. He urged the doctors to encourage more and more patients to get vaccinated.
He also urged doctors from cities with experience in Covid management to reach out to those in the underserved areas by handholding, training, online consultations to ensure that protocols are followed.
The Prime Minister noted that this time the pandemic is spreading rapidly in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities as well. PM Modi called for accelerating efforts to upgrade resources in such places. He urged doctors to connect with their colleagues working in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities and give them online consultations to ensure that all protocols are followed correctly.
Interacting with them via video conferencing on the COVID-19 issue and vaccination progress, hailed the doctors and the frontline workers for confronting the pandemic with full force and saving the lives of millions of people. He also urged the doctors to educate people against several rumours on Covid treatment & prevention.
"In these difficult times, PM Modi said, it is very important that people do not become a victim of panic. For this, PM Modi said, along with proper treatment, emphasis must also be on counselling of patients admitted in hospitals. He also encouraged doctors to use tele-medicine for treatment of other diseases, in case there is no emergency.