Highlights:

•  The Centre would buy 75% of vaccines and provide them to states free of charge to all people over the age of 18.
• Prior registration is not required, all vaccinations given by both public and private centres will be documented on the Co-Win site.
• By the end of this year, the government hopes to have vaccinated all adults in the country against coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

The new policy of India’s vaccination strategy will begin today, with the Central Government providing free COVID-19 vaccine to all Indian people over the age of 18 in all states.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement in a televised address to the nation, saying that starting June 21 (International Day of Yoga), the Centre will provide free vaccines to states. “Whether it is the poor, the lower middle class, the middle class, or the upper-middle class, everyone will get free vaccines under the central government programme,” he said.

What is the new vaccine policy of the Centre?

• The Centre would purchase 75% of vaccines and provide them to states free of charge to all people over the age of 18.
• The Centre will also handle the 25% vaccine that was previously left to the states under the previously announced liberalised scheme.
• The health ministry stated in a briefing on Friday that states will play a facilitatory role by aggregating demand and vaccination capabilities of private hospitals in the state and ensuring vaccination administration.
• The Centre will distribute free vaccine doses to states and UTs depending on factors such as population, disease burden, and vaccination progress.
• The remaining 25% will be purchased by private hospitals, which will inoculate people who are ready to pay for their vaccinations. They can’t charge more than Rs.150 per dose as a service charge over the vaccine’s fixed price.
• The government has also set a price cap of Rs.780 for Covishield, Rs.1,410 for Covaxin, and Rs.1,145 for Sputnik V, the three vaccinations currently available in the country.

Co-Win registration not mandatory

Pre-registration on Cowin.gov.in will no longer be required as all government and private vaccination centres will now offer onsite registration. All vaccinations will be documented on the Co-Win site, even if prior registration is not required. As a result, before receiving immunisation, beneficiaries must ensure that they are registered on the site.

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If you’re going to a government hospital:

• Vaccination will be provided at no cost.
• Prior Co-Win registration is not required, since the government will enable on-the-spot registration starting tomorrow.

If you’re going to a private hospital

• There is no need for pior register for Co-Win.
• Over the fixed price of the vaccine, private hospitals cannot charge more than Rs. 150 as a service charge each dose. Covaxin costs Rs. 1,410, Covishield costs Rs. 790, and Sputnik V costs Rs. 1,145.

 

How to verify a vaccination certificate:

It is essential to confirm the authenticity of the vaccine certificate after being inoculated, as various examples of vaccine scams have been reported. This is how you can verify the certificate:

Step 1: Go to verify.cowin.gov.in and select Scan QR code.

Step 2: Select the button that displays.

Step 3: You’ll receive a notification asking you to turn on your device’s camera.

Step 4: Scan the QR code on the certificate that was issued with the camera.

Step 5: After verification, the name, age, gender, certificate ID, date of issuance, and name of immunisation facility will be displayed.

Step 6: If the certificate is not genuine, a notice stating “certificate invalid” will appear.

More than 29.10 crore doses of vaccine provided to States/UTs

According to a statement released on Sunday, the Centre has delivered more than 29.10 crore (29,10,54,050) vaccine doses to states and union territories through the Government of India (free of cost channel) and direct state purchase.

According to the announcement, more than 3.06 crore (3,06,34,638) COVID Vaccine doses are still available with the States/UTs to be delivered.