Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday said that the Centre has prioritised 30 crore people for coronavirus vaccination on the first go.
Speaking to the media he said, "After consultation with experts, we've prioritised 30 crore people for Covid vaccine. It includes health workers, frontline workers like police, military & sanitation staff, people above 50 yrs & those who are below 50 yrs but are suffering from certain diseases".
Dr Vardhan said that the government will make a full effort so that everyone on the priority list gets the vaccine. "We will address the issue of vaccine hesitancy. But if anyone decides not to take it, we can't force them," Dr Harsh Vardhan said.
Dr Vrdhan said that India could get coronavirus shot in January. He added, "Our priority has been the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. We don't want to compromise on that. I feel, maybe in any week of January, we can be in a position to give the first Covid vaccine shot to people of India.”
The minister said the Central government along with state governments has been making preparations at state, district and block levels for the past four months. "We have formed task forces at state, district and block levels. Thousands of master trainers have been trained across the country. We've conducted training at the state level and trained over 20,0 00 workers in about 260 districts.”
There are six vaccine candidates undergoing trials in India and the government could soon start voluntary inoculation once any of the vaccine candidates get emergency approval for use. Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Bharat Biotech have already applied for emergency use authorization.
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The ministry of health and family welfare had said that the government can start vaccination anytime soon. "Vaccination for COVID-19 is voluntary. However, it is advisable to receive the complete schedule of COVID-19 vaccine."
Those already infected should also get vaccinated against the virus, added the ministry.