Three crore Indians to get Covid-19 vaccine in Phase 1: Report

In the first phase of the coronavirus vaccine distribution, India is looking at vaccinating three crore of the total population. Quoting Union health ministry officials, Hindustan Times reported that the prioritised population includes 70 lakh doctors and paramedics and 2 crore frontline workers.

Read | PM Modi says every Indian to get Covid-19 vaccine

Adding that the National Expert Committee on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 has come up with a draft prioritisation plan, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that "if the present trials proceed according to plan and succeed, then the number of doses that would be available from January to July would be sufficient to immunise all those on the priority list."

"And we think if the present trials proceeded according to plan, and succeed, then the number of doses that will become available from January to July 2021 would be sufficient to immunize the priority list persons. That we are working on…,” the report quoted Bhushan saying.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had recently said a Covid-19 vaccine was likely by the first quarter of next year and the Centre has estimated to receive and utilise 40-50 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccine on 20-25 crore people.

(With agency inputs)