FREE Booster doses for all adults to begin from today

The 75-day ‘COVID Vaccination Amrit Mahotsava’ will begin on Friday with the goal of increasing the uptake of the booster dosage of COVID vaccination among the eligible adult population, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

This particular vaccination push is part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations and seeks to deliver free prophylactic doses to all people (18 years and older) who are eligible at Government COVID Vaccination Centres (CVCs).

“It will start from today and continue for the next 75 days. We will try to vaccinate all the citizens between 18-59 years of age,” Dr Bijay Panigrahi, Director, Family Welfare and Nodal Officer Vaccination told ANI.

States and UTs were urged to give an intensive and ambitious push toward full COVID19 vaccination coverage by vaccinating all eligible beneficiaries and covering them with precaution dose in a virtual meeting with State/UT Health Secretaries and NHM MDs chaired by Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Thursday.

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States/UTs were asked to carry out a 75-day ‘COVID Vaccination Amrit Mahotsava’ as a ‘Jan Abhiyaan’ with large popular mobilisation using a camp strategy. They were urged to conduct special vaccination camps along the itineraries of the Char Dham Yatra (Uttarakhand), Amarnath Yatra (Jammu & Kashmir), Kanwar Yatra (all North Indian States/UTs), as well as important Melas and congregations.

The Union Health Secretary emphasised that the lower percentage of precaution dosages taken among those aged 18 and up (8%) and people aged 60 and above (27%), is reason for worry.

From July 15 to September 30, 2022, the Centre has announced a special programme called ‘COVID Vaccination Amrit Mahotsava’ that would distribute free prophylactic doses at all Government Covid Vaccination Centres for everyone aged 18 and up for 75 days.

All people above the age of 18 who have completed 6 months (or 26 weeks) since the administration of the second dosage are eligible for the precaution dose.

On Thursday, India’s COVID-19 immunisation coverage reached 199.44 crore (1,99,44,72,253).