Modi announces centralized vaccine drive; those above 18 to get free vaccine from June 21
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced a centralized vaccine drive and said the Union government would procure all vaccines and give them to states for free. From June 21, free vaccine will be given to people above 18 years, he said.
“Twenty-five per cent of the vaccination work being done by the states will now be handled by the Centre. It will be implemented in the coming two weeks. Both the states and Centre will work as per the new guidelines in the coming two weeks,” Modi said while addressing the nation.
He said India has sped up the process of procuring COVID-19 vaccines from abroad to increase its availability, adding that seven companies in the country are producing different vaccines. In the wake of experts warning that a potential third wave of the pandemic would affect the children more, Modi said the trial of two vaccines for children is already underway.
“To increase vaccine availability, the process of procuring vaccines from abroad has been sped up. Experts have also expressed concerns about children. In this direction, the trial of two vaccines is underway. Research is being conducted for a nasal vaccine in the country,” the prime minister said.
“There is very less number of vaccine manufacturers in world compared to its demand. Imagine what would have happened in India if we didn't have vaccines. If you look at history of last 50-60 yeras, you will know that it used to take decades for India to get vaccines from abroad,” he said and added that in the last one year, India launched two made-in-India vaccines.
Modi termed COVID-19 as the deadliest pandemic in the past 100 years. “The modern world has not seen such a pandemic. Our country has fought this pandemic at many levels,” he said.
The prime minister claimed that in the last one and a half years, India has developed its health infrastructure with COVID hospitals, ventilators beds and a network of testing labs. He also noted that during the second wave in April-May, demand for medical oxygen had increased at an unprecedented rate.
