“Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav:” Free Covid Booster Dose for All Adults for 75 Days
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 13: Worried over very poor coverage of adult population with Covid booster doses, the centre has decided to provide free booster doze to all people above the age of 18 as part of the government’s ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence.
Under the programme aimed at improving the third-dose coverage, all adults would be provided free booster doses of the coronavirus vaccine at government centres over the next 75 days from Friday, officials said on Wednesday.
“India is celebrating 75 years of independence. On the occasion of Azadi ka Amrit Kaal, it has been decided that from 15th July, 2022, till the next 75 days, citizens above 18 years of age will be given booster doses free of cost,” Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday said. The free Covid booster doses will be available at all government centres, he added.
The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry, in a release, said the government was committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of Covid-19 vaccination throughout the country. The ministry said the vaccination drive had been ramped up through availability of more vaccines, advance visibility of vaccine availability to the states and Union Territories for enabling better planning by them and streamlining the vaccine supply chain.
Though overall India’s Covid-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 199.12 crore, so far, less than one per cent of the target population of 77 crore in the 18-59 age group have been administered the precaution dose while around 26 per cent of the estimated 16 crore eligible population aged 60 and above as well as healthcare and frontline workers have received the booster dose.
“A majority of the Indian population got their second dose over nine months ago. Studies at ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) and other international research institutions have suggested that antibody levels wane around six months after the primary vaccination with both doses… giving a booster increases the immune response,” the official said.
“The government is therefore planning to start a special drive for 75 days during which individuals aged between 18 and 59 years will be administered precaution doses for free at government vaccination centres starting from July 15,” he said.
The Union Health Ministry last week reduced the gap between the second and precaution dose of COVID-19 vaccine for all beneficiaries from nine to six months. This followed a recommendation from the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI).
To accelerate the pace of vaccination and encourage booster shots, the government launched the second round of the ‘Har Ghar Dastak campaign 2.0’ across states on June 1. The two-month programme is currently underway.
According to government data, 96 per cent of India’s population has been administered the first dose of Covid vaccine while 87 per cent of the people have taken both doses. On April 10 this year, India began administering precaution doses of COVID-19 vaccines to all aged above 18 years.
The countrywide vaccination drive had rolled out on January 16 last year with healthcare workers getting inoculated in the first phase. Vaccination of frontline workers started from February 2 last year. On March 1 last year, COVID-19 vaccination began for people over 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified comorbid conditions.
Vaccination for all people aged more than 45 years began on April 1 last year. The government then decided to expand the drive by allowing everyone above 18 years to be inoculated against Covid from May 1 last year. Inoculation of those in the age group of 15-18 began on January 3 this year and the country began inoculating children aged 12-14 from March 16.
