New Delhi: India will launch its COVID-19 vaccination drive January 16 and priority will be given to nearly three crore healthcare and frontline workers, the government said Saturday.
The decision was taken after Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the status of COVID-19 situation and vaccine preparedness.
“After the detailed review, it was decided that in view of the forthcoming festivals including Lohri, Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Magh Bihu, etc, the COVID-19 vaccination will start from January 16, 2021,” a government statement said.
After healthcare and frontline workers, priority will be given to those above 50 years of age and the under-50 population groups with co-morbidities numbering around 27 crore, it added.
“Emergency Use Authorisation or Accelerated Approval has been granted by the National Regulator for two vaccines (Covishield and Covaxin) which have established safety and immunogenicity,” the government said.
Both vaccines are two-dose drugs, meaning they need two doses each to ensure maximum protection against the virus.
On Tuesday the government said its CoWIN app (short for Covid Vaccine Intelligence Network) and its ecosystem would be used to manage the massive vaccination drive.
The app is yet to be launched, but the government has said it will use Aadhaar numbers to authenticate vaccine beneficiaries and send text messages – in at least 12 languages – to their mobile phones with details of vaccination date and time.
Once the app is launched, it will give three options for registration – self-registration, individual registration (an official would help by uploading data) and bulk upload.
The exact logistics of this process has not been announced yet. It is likely that the government may organise camps where people can go and officials will get them registered for the vaccine.
There are 2,24,190 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which constitutes 2.16 per cent of the total caseload so far of over 1.04 crore, according to the latest Health Ministry data. More than 1.5 lakh people have died so far.
