NEW DELHI: The Centre will bear the full expense of vaccinating three crore healthcare and frontline workers in the first phase. This was confirmed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his videoconference call with chief ministers on Monday.
“Health workers, both government and private, will be vaccinated first. Sanitation workers, other frontline workers, defence forces, police and other paramilitary forces will also be vaccinated in the first phase,” Modi said.
Thereafter, those above 50 years and younger people with serious co-morbidities will be given the vaccine against Covid-19. During his interaction with the CMs, Modi said that apart from Covishield and Covaxin, four others are in the pipeline.
The PM also said that politicians should not to try to get the vaccine in the first phase. Vaccine rollout will begin on January 16 with the help of 61,000 managers and 2 lakh vaccinators and 3.7 lakh other vaccination team members, the CMs were informed.
The priority of vaccination has been decided as per advice of experts and the scientific community after consultation with the states, the Prime Minister said.
Govt orders 5.1 cr doses
The Centre has ordered 4 cr doses of Covaxin from Bharat Biotech, costing `300 each, and 1.1 cr doses of Covishield, costing `210 each, from SII, sources said