COVID Vaccination For Citizens Over 50 To Begin In March

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan said India will begin vaccinating its third priority group of those who are 50 years and above from March onwards.

Over 27 crores are estimated to be vaccinated in this group.

"In the first phase, the target was to vaccinate around one crore health workers of government and private clinics, which is happening swiftly. The second phase, meant to inoculate two crore frontline workers, has already begun in many states from February 2. After completing the two phases, the third phase is expected to begin in any time in March. In this phase, every citizen above the age of 50 will get vaccinated. The process will begin in any week of March," the minister said on Friday in Lok Sabha.

"It's difficult to give an exact date, but it will begin in any time of the month — third or fourth week of March," he said.

The vaccination drive that began on January 16 has inoculated over 50 million Indian already.

The health minister also said that 22 countries have requested for Covid-19 vaccines. The countries include Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, UAE, Maldives, Morocco, Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, Algeria, Kuwait and South Africa, among others.

The health minister added that the country has dispatched vaccines to 15 nations that included 56 lakh doses through grants and 105 lakh doses through contract.