Srinagar, Feb 24 (KNO): The second phase of COVID-19 vaccination across India will commence from March 01 (Monday) in which sexagenarians and those with age of 45 years having comorbidities will be vaccinated, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said.
According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Javadekar who is Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting and Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises while addressing a press conference said that the second phase of COVID vaccination will begin on March 1 and people with above 60 years of age and person with comorbidities having age over 45 years will be vaccinated.
He said that there will be 10,000 government and around 20,000 private vaccination centres and vaccines will be given free at government centres only and those who will take vaccines at private centres will have to pay.
The amount they would need to pay will be decided by the Health Ministry within 3-4 days as they are in discussion with manufacturers and hospitals, he said.
He further added that 1,07,67,000 front line health care workers have been vaccinated so far in the first phase of vaccination, which commenced on January 16 and around 14 lakh workers have also taken a second dose of the vaccine as well.
He said that the expenditure of the vaccine for the first phase was fully borne by the government.
Pertinently, Oxford-AztraZeneca's Covishield and indigenously developed Covaxin of Bharat Biotech - approved by India's drug regulator - are being used in the vaccination—(KNO)