India ramps up Covid vaccine rollout as cases surge
By Sanjay Jha, ITV News, Delhi
India has kicked off an expanded inoculation campaign for those over 60, alongside people aged above 45 with underlying health conditions, amid a surge in case.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is 70, was inoculated with the first dose of a home-grown coronavirus vaccine on Monday morning at a Delhi hospital.
“I appeal to all those who are eligible to take the vaccine. Together, let us make India COVID-19 free!” the prime minister tweeted as he kick-started the next phase of India's jab rollout.
Those with specified health conditions are required to produce a medical certificate before getting their jab.
In the first phase of of India's rollout, only healthcare and frontline workers were eligible for the jab.
To expand the reach of vaccination programme, 10,000 private hospitals are now able to administer the vaccine at a fixed price of 250 rupees, or £2.45, per jab.
The vaccine will be given for free at government hospitals.
Two vaccines, Covishield and Covaxin, are currently approved for use in India under the ambit of emergency-use authorisation.
New coronavirus infections are increasing again after months of consistent decline.
India has reported 15,510 new cases and 106 deaths in past 24 hours.
In total, the country has recorded more than 11 million cases, securing its positions as second in the world behind the United States for infections.
There have been over 157,000 deaths in the country from Covid-19 since the start of the lockdown.
Most new cases are reported from the western state of Maharashtra, where the number of active cases has nearly doubled to over 68,000 in the past two weeks.
Lockdowns and other restrictions have been reimposed in some areas.