All aged over 45 can get COVID-19 vaccine from April 1: Govt

Modi govt has opened COVID-19 vaccination drive to all aged above 45 from April 1 amid rising cases

As India witnessed an unprecedented surge in COVID-19 infections, the Modi government has stepped up measures to expand its vaccination programme. On Tuesday, the Centre announced that all eligible people above the age of 45 can get vaccinated, starting from April 1. 

“It has been decided that from 1st April, the vaccine will open for everybody above 45 years of age. We request that all eligible should immediately register and get vaccinated,” said Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, during a press briefing. 

With this development, more than 34 crore people have become eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccination, without any requirement to show co-morbidities. New vaccine recipients can register themselves to receive the vaccine on Co-Win mobile app and website from April 1. 

In this regard, Union Minister of Health Dr Harsh Vardhan has affirmed that there are enough vaccines to innoculate the targeted section of society across all states. 

“There is no shortage of vaccines in the country. People should not unnecessarily panic. The government has a well-oiled system that regularly monitors total vaccine allocation, total consumption and balance of vaccine, and need for replishment,” the health ministry said in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. 

Earlier, people above the age of 45 were required to present a proof if they were suffering from co-morbidities, like diabetes or high blood pressure in order to get vaccinated. However, in a recent letter to chief secretaries of states and union territories, the Centre has noted that there will be no need for co-morbidity certificate for people aged between 45 to 59 years, from April 1. The decision has been made on the basis of a recommendation made by the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC).

Related Posts

• Centre warns of a worsening situation, calls to vaccinate all people over 45 years in 2 weeks period
• Explained: Can India’s second Covid-19 wave be more devastating than the first
• Government committee establishes no blood clot risk from Covaxin and Covishield
• The recent surge in Coronavirus cases in India & are variants present the cause: Explained
• Three new COVID-19 variants reported in India so far: Centre

In the letter, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan has asked all states to implement the new decision and spread awareness among people above 45 years to get vaccinated. As per reports, people born before January 1, 1977, comes under the 45-year-plus priority category for the vaccination programme.

“The CoWIN software is also being suitably modified for doing away with the need for confirmation of comorbidities at the time of online registration and on-site registration or for uploading the comorbidity certificate at the time of vaccination. The registration on CoWin would begin from 1 April,” the Union health secretary added. 

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has said that India is administering vaccinations at the fastest rate in the world. As of now, more than 4.85 crore people have been vaccinated against Coronavirus in India. 

“Vaccine doses administered in India in a single day amount to 30-40% of the doses given across the world during the same time period,” Dr Vardhan said, while addressing the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.