COVID-19 Booster doses for all adults from April 10: Health Ministry

Representational image (Reuters)

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced on April 8 that all coronavirus vaccine beneficiaries aged 18 years and above will now be able to get booster doses from April 10 at private vaccination centres.

All adults who have completed nine months since the administration of the second dose of the coronavirus vaccine, will be allowed to visit private vaccination centres for their third dose or precaution dose from Sunday.

A statement released by the Health Ministry read: “It has been decided that precaution dose of COVID-19 vaccines will be made available to 18+ population group at private vaccination centres.”

It added: “The administration of precaution dose to 18+ population through private vaccination centres would start from April 10 (Sunday), 2022. All those who are more than 18 years of age and have completed nine months after the administration of the second dose, would be eligible for the precaution dose. This facility would be available in all Private Vaccination Centres.

So far, about 96 percent of vaccine beneficiaries aged 15 years and above have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose while about 83 percent of them have received both doses. Over 2.4 crore precaution doses have also been administered to healthcare workers, frontline workers, and senior citizens (60+ years). Additionally, 45 percent of beneficiaries aged 12 to 14 years have received the first dose already.