In a major decision aimed at curbing the raging COVID-19 pandemic in India, the Centre on Monday announced that it will open vaccinations for everyone above 18 years of age starting from 1st May, following a series of meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and different stakeholders.
However, it also said that while the current vaccination drive will continue to cover the population above 45, healthcare and frontline, vaccine manufacturers will now be empowered to release up to 50% of their supply to states and sell it in the open market at a pre declared price.
States are also being permitted to procure additional vaccine doses directly from the manufacturers, as well as open up vaccination to any category of people above the age of 18 for the same.
As per the details shared by the Centre, in its phase 3 of the Covid vaccination drive, the national vaccine strategy aims at liberalised vaccine pricing and scaling up of vaccine coverage.
The government has mandated that manufacturers will transparently make an advance declaration of the price for 50% supply that would be available to states and in the open market before May 1.
According to the Centre, ‘This would augment vaccine production as well as availability, incentivising vaccine manufacturers to rapidly ramp up their production as well as attract new vaccine manufacturers, domestic and international. It would also make pricing, procurement, eligibility and administration of vaccines open and flexible, allowing all stakeholders the flexibility to customise to local needs and dynamics’.
Vaccination shall continue as before in Govt. of India vaccination centres, provided free of cost to the eligible population as defined earlier i.e. health care workers, frontline workers and all people above 45 years of age, Later they added.
All vaccinations, however, will be part of the national vaccination programme, and mandated to follow all protocols such as being captured on CoWIN platform, linked to Adverse Event Following Immunisation reporting and all other prescribed norms.