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INDIA
The Centre Friday announced the rollout of precautionary third doses of Covid vaccine for the 18+ population at private vaccination centres.
Private Covid vaccination centres can only charge up to Rs 150 as a service fee for the precaution dose over and above the cost of the jab, the Union Health Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
It also said that the cost of the precautionary dose will be the same as the price for the first dose.
This comes a day after the ministry announced the rollout of precautionary third doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from April 10 for the 18+ population who have completed nine months or 39 weeks after receiving the second dose of the vaccine.
Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), on Saturday morning chaired an orientation meeting of health secretaries of states and union territories over the precaution dose.
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He clarified that the healthcare workers, frontline workers and citizens aged 60 or above, will continue receiving the precautionary dose at any centre, including free of cost at government inoculation centers.
Bhushan also said that the precaution dose will be of the same vaccine that was administered in the first and second jabs.
Bhushan added that no fresh registrations would be required for the precaution dose as all the beneficiaries are already registered on the CoWIN portal.
It was emphasised in the meeting all vaccinations must be registered in the portal, while the options of online appointment and walk-in registration will be made available at the private vaccination centres.
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The states and union territories were also advised to accelerate the administration of the free first and second doses of Covid vaccines to children above 12 years of age and optimal administration of the precaution dose for healthcare workers, frontline workers and citizens above 60 years at government inoculation centres.
(With IANS inputs)