New Delhi, April 10 (BNA): India began providing booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to all adults on Sunday but the free shots were limited in government centers for front-line workers and people over the age of 60, according to the Associated Press.
The health ministry said in a statement on Friday that the doses, which India calls a “precautionary” injection rather than a booster dose, are available to people nine months after they have received the second hit.
The department said those outside of the two priority categories would need to pay for the shots at privately operated facilities.
Unlike other countries, where many people receive a different vaccine as a booster, most Indians received the same type – in most cases the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine maker.
It accounts for nearly 90% of all doses administered in India, although emergency approvals have been given for eight vaccines.
On Saturday, the Serum Institute of India said it had cut the price of the AstraZeneca vaccine from $7.90 a dose to $2.96 for private hospitals.
India has so far vaccinated about 96% of those aged 15 and over with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while about 83% have received both, according to official data.
The booster program in India began in January when healthcare workers and frontline workers with people over 60 with health problems were allowed to receive injections.
India has recorded a sharp decline in coronavirus cases in recent weeks, with the Ministry of Health reporting 1,054 cases in the last 24 hours.
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