Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said that the COVID 19 vaccine will be free across India. Talking to the media, Dr Harsh Vardhan said that not just only in Delhi, but across the country, the vaccine will be provided free of cost. He appealed to the people not to be misguided by rumours regarding safety and efficacy of the vaccine. He said the government will not compromise on any protocol before approving a vaccine.
The Minister pointed out that vaccine hesitancy was an issue even at the start of the polio immunisation drive but Polio Inoculation turned out to be a huge success, saving mankind. He said guidelines for today’s nationwide dry run have been d based on the feedback from the insightful pilot dry run held in 4 states. He added that except for giving actual vaccines, every procedure is being followed during the drill. In a tweet, Dr Harsh Vardhan said, in the 1st phase of COVID-19 Vaccination, free vaccine shall be provided across the nation to most prioritised beneficiaries that include one crore healthcare workers and two crore frontline workers. He said, details of how further 27 crore priority beneficiaries are to be vaccinated until July are being finalized.
The Minister added that around two thousand Master Trainers have been prepared for the vaccination. He said health workers have also been trained in all states and union territories for administration of the vaccine.