From June 21 i.e. tomorrow the new guidelines of the National Covid Vaccination programme will be implemented. According to guidelines the Centre will procure 75 percent of the vaccines being produced by the manufacturers in the country and free vaccinations will be administered to everyone above the age of 18.
Meanwhile, In order to successfully run the vaccination drive, the Indian government also announced that eligible age groups can directly ‘walk-in’ to get their Covid-19 vaccine shot at the dedicated centers.
Here are answers to all the questions like- What are the changes in vaccination drive and who can get a free vaccine.
At what rate will the states will procure the vaccine now
To speed up the vaccination drive, now Centre will supply vaccine doses to the states. The criteria for the allocation of Vaccine doses provided free of cost by the government of India will be population, disease burden and the progress of vaccination.
“The government of India will procure 75 percent of the vaccines being produced by the manufacturers in the country. These doses will be administered by the States/UTs free of cost to all citizens as per priority through Government Vaccination Centers,” said the guidelines.
Meanwhile, the Centre has also warned the states regarding vaccine wastage. “ Wastage of vaccine will affect the allocation negatively,” stated new guidelines. Also to get more vaccines, states have to pace up the vaccination speed.
Also Read: Eligible age groups can just ‘walk in’ to get Covid-19 vaccine shot: Centre
Will everyone above 18 get the free vaccine
Anyone getting a vaccine administered from a government vaccination center from tomorrow will have to nothing for the vaccine. However, people administering the vaccine in a private center have to pay.
Cost of the vaccine in private hospitals
Different vaccines have different prices. For taking Covishield jab you have to pay Rs 780, which is the cheapest vaccine form three. For Covaxin you have to pay Rs 1410 and for Sputnik V Rs1145. Also, the private hospitals can charge you up to Rs 150 as a service charge.
Also Read: Centre issues revised guidelines for National Covid vaccination programme
Will any group be given priority for vaccine
For free vaccine doses, the GoI has prioritized categories as - Health Care Workers, Front line Workers, Citizens above 45 years of age, citizens whose second dose has become due and citizens of 18 years and above.
Changes in the CoWIN portal
There have been no changes made in the Co WIN portal. However, the government has announced that eligible age groups can directly ‘walk-in’ to get their Covid-19 vaccine shot at the dedicated centers.
the Centre has said that anyone aged above 18 years can directly visit the nearest vaccination center where the vaccinator performs the on-site registration and gives the first dose in the same visit.