Dependents, family members can also be covered under workplace COVID vaccination: Centre

The Union Health Ministry on Saturday said that vaccination drive at workplaces (government and private) could be extended to all employees as well as their dependents and family members.

The clarification comes as the health ministry was receiving several queries regarding the coverage of family members of workers after the Centre allowed both private and government officers to operationalise vaccination centre at workplaces.

A communication issued by Vikas Sheel, Additional Secretary of the National Health Mission, Health Ministry noted that "Covid-19 vaccination at Workplace (Govt & Private) COVID Vaccination Centres (CVCs) may be extended to all employees of the workplace."

In a letter to all chief secretaries, the Health Ministry said that for industrial and private workplace CVCs, the vaccine doses will have to be procured by the private hospitals with whom the respective employer ties up.

"The family members and dependents of the workers, as defined by the respective employers, can also be covered with COVID-19 vaccination at the Industrial CVCs and Workplace CVCs," the ministry said in the letter.

It said that for government workplace CVCs, beneficiaries aged 45 years or more may be covered through the free vaccine doses supplied by the Centre to the states and Union Territories.

The beneficiaries in the age group of 18 to 44 years may be covered through the vaccine doses directly procured by the respective State/UT governments from the vaccine manufacturers, the ministry said.