Booster dose to be now available to 18+ group from 10 April at private vaccination centres

April 8: In a latest development, the Centre on 8 April announced that all adults will be eligible to get the booster dose at private vaccination centres from April 10. Until now, only persons aged 60 and above were eligible to receive the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. But from 10 April, the roll out of the precautionary third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine will be for the 18-plus population at private vaccination centres.

However, as per the Union Health Ministry, the ongoing free vaccination programme through government vaccination Centres for the first and second dose as well as the booster dose to healthcare workers, frontline workers and the 60+ population would continue.

The health ministry has said that all those who are more than 18 years of age and have completed nine months or 39 weeks after receiving the second dose of the vaccine would be eligible for precautionary third dose.

Taking to the social media, Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya wrote, “Adding an extra layer of safety! Precaution Dose to be available to 18+ age group from 10th April, 2022, at Private Vaccination Centres. All 18+ who have completed 9 months after administration of 2nd dose, would be eligible for Precaution Dose.”

#LargestVaccineDrive

➡️ Precaution Dose to be now available to 18+ population group from 10th April, 2022, at Private Vaccination Centres.https://t.co/lmnT0NQXyN pic.twitter.com/U49UVJAPUt

— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) April 8, 2022

So far, about 96% of all 15+ population in the country have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose while about 83% of 15+ population has received both the doses. More than 2.4 crore Precaution Doses have also been administered to Healthcare Workers, Frontline Workers and 60+ population group. 45% of 12 to 14 years age group have also received the first dose. The on-going free vaccination programme through Government Vaccination Centres for first and second dose to the eligible population as well as Precaution Dose to Healthcare Workers, Frontline Workers and 60+ population would continue and would be accelerated.

India will continue to follow homologous vaccination for booster schedules. This means that a beneficiary who has received two doses of Covishield will have to take Covishield as the third dose. Similarly, those who received two doses of Covaxin will have to take Covaxin as the precautionary dose.