Paid booster for all adults at pvt centres from tomorrow

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 8

Amid growing concerns over the new Covid XE variant, India on Friday decided to extend paid booster facility to all adults (18 years and above) at private vaccination centres from April 10. The administration of booster doses through private centres would begin from Sunday and the registration will open at CoWIN portal.

All adults who have completed nine months after the second dose would be eligible for the booster, the Health Ministry said. The facility would be available at all private vaccination centres.

9-month gap must after 2nd dose

• All adults who have completed 9 months after second dose eligible for precaution dose
• The facility will be available at all private vaccination centres
• Free first and second vaccine doses to remain available for all adults at govt centres
• Free booster shots to remain available at govt centres for 60-plus, health & frontline workers

Vax coverage

185.53 crore doses administered in India so far; 84% of adult population covered with both doses

96% in 15-plus category have received at least one dose, 83% both doses

45% of 12 to 14-year-olds have got first dose

52,090 total sites conducting vaccination

50,896 government | 1,194 private centres

The development came as Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan warned Haryana, Delhi, Kerala, Maharashtra and Mizoram about the recent surge in cases despite the sustained and declining national trends.

Haryana, the ministry said, had reported a rise in weekly cases from 367 in the week ending April 1 to 416 in the week ending April 8, accounting for 5.70 per cent of India’s new cases. The state had also seen a rise in positivity in the last week from 0.51 to 1.06 per cent.

The ministry also flagged the rise in cases in Delhi from 724 (week ending April 1) to 826 (April 8). The maximum rise in weekly cases has been reported by Kerala with 2,321 cases reported in the week ending April 8, accounting for 31.8 per cent of India's new infections. Kerala's weekly positivity rose from 13.45 to 15.33 per cent.

Meanwhile, a new study by the National Institute of Virology, Pune, has also made a strong case for booster shot to “ensure better protection”.

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