The decision marks a significant opening up of the vaccination drive, with the roll-out for the general public being moved up from the previously estimated window of mid-March, and comes at a time when the country is on the brink of a second wave of infections.
Anyone above the age of 60 or above 45 and with existing illnesses that make them more vulnerable to Covid-19 will be allowed to sign up to receive coronavirus vaccines at government as well as private hospitals from March 1, the Union Cabinet decided on Wednesday.
The decision marks a significant opening up of the vaccination drive, with the roll-out for the general public being moved up from the previously estimated window of mid-March, and comes at a time when the country is on the brink of a second wave of infections.
“The second phase of the world’s largest vaccination drive will start from Monday in which anybody above 60 years and 45 years plus with co-morbidities will be given vaccines in 10,000 government medical facilities and also over 20,000 private hospitals,” said information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar at the briefing on Cabinet decisions.
The doses at the government centres will be free. Private hospitals will be allowed to charge for them, but the rate will be fixed and announced by the government at a later date. This is the first time the private sector will be actively involved in administering vaccines, and doses will be available to eligible people who are willing to pay.
While most of the details of the protocols are yet to be finalised, an official said that the sign-ups will initially be allowed through the Aarogya Setu mobile application, which was launched last year as a digital contact tracing tool.
“To begin with, the population that is eligible to take the vaccine will be asked to download the Aarogya Setu app. There will be an option under the Co-WIN section where they can register and book an appointment for vaccination,” said a senior government official, privy to the matter, asking not to be named.
Once registered, people may also be able to walk in to get their doses, as is the case at present for those eligible at the moment, this person added.
For those with comorbid conditions, the government is expected to release a list of qualifying diseases in the coming days.
“Gradually, there may also be helplines, interactive voice response (IVR) system option for those with basic phones, and also a web portal for registration — but the start will happen through the Aarogya Setu app,” the official said.
At vaccination sites, those seeking a dose will need to prove their identity by showing a government-issued identity card.
India launched the coronavirus vaccination campaign on January 16, and in the period since, a little over 11 million people have received at least one dose. Experts believe now is the time to rapidly ramp up the campaign, since India’s cases have begun to inch up and several states are showing a resurgence.
“So far we have immunised only 1% of our population, while Israel has immunised 85%, and the US 23%. At the current pace, we will not be able to achieve the target even by the end of the year. We have to speed up the vaccination drive at least six to ten times,” said Dr SK Sarin, director of the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, who headed the Delhi government’s first committee on controlling and managing Covid-19 infections.
At least one of the ways in which it can be done is by opening up the campaign to anyone willing to take shots, particularly since the turnout till now has been a little over 50% of the targeted vaccination per day.
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