Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan visits Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital to review the dry run drill for administering COVID-19 vaccine, in New Delhi. (PTI/File)
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The country will begin vaccinating its third priority group of people — those who are 50 years and above — in two or three weeks, but the crucial decision on whether the vaccine will be administered free of cost to this set of 26 crore people is being discussed by the expert group, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said on Monday.
During an official briefing, Harsh Vardhan reiterated that as earlier pointed out by the Prime Minister, the decision on administering the vaccine free of cost to the priority group of 26 crore 50-plus people will be taken after consulting with the states.
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“As far as the intention of the government is considered, the Finance Minister, in her Budget speech, promised to keep Rs 35,000 crore for vaccination… she said that if there is a need the government might consider (increasing) it further,” Harsh Vardhan said. “The strategy of (vaccinating) 26 crore (people) is being deliberated upon by the expert group. As soon as the decision on these aspects is taken (it will be communicated)…” Harsh Vardhan replied when asked whether vaccine for the third priority group will be administered free of cost.
On Monday, India crossed the 85-lakh mark in administering the vaccine – 98,118 beneficiaries were given the second dose.
Harsh Vardhan said the next priority group will be vaccinated from March. “In another two or three weeks we will start the process of giving the vaccines to the third major group – the group constituting 26 crore (people) who are above the age of 50.”
Harsh Vardhan also emphasised that no final decision has been taken on allowing Covid-19 vaccine in the private market, as the two vaccines have been cleared by the regulator for restricted use.
Kaunain Sheriff M is an award-winning investigative journalist and the National Health Editor at The Indian Express. He is the author of Johnson & Johnson Files: The Indian Secrets of a Global Giant, an investigation into one of the world’s most powerful pharmaceutical companies.
With over a decade of experience, Kaunain brings deep expertise in three areas of investigative journalism: law, health, and data. He currently leads The Indian Express newsroom’s in-depth coverage of health.
His work has earned some of the most prestigious honours in journalism, including the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Award, and the Mumbai Press Club’s Red Ink Award.
Kaunain has also collaborated on major global investigations. He was part of the Implant Files project with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which exposed malpractices in the medical device industry across the world. He also contributed to an international investigation that uncovered how a Chinese big-data firm was monitoring thousands of prominent Indian individuals and institutions in real time.
Over the years, he has reported on several high-profile criminal trials, including the Hashimpura massacre, the 2G spectrum scam, and the coal block allocation case. Within The Indian Express, he has been honoured three times with the Indian Express Excellence Award for his investigations—on the anti-Sikh riots, the Vyapam exam scam, and the abuse of the National Security Act in Uttar Pradesh. ... Read More
