COVID-19 vaccination of 18-44 age group can only start in September: Andhra CM Reddy

Ahead of India's largest vaccination drive, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy held a review meeting on COVID-19 vaccination phase 3 on Thursday. He said that it is expected that vaccination for the age group of 18-44 will start in September, once the vaccination is completed for people above 45 years. It will take four months to complete vaccination for people of age group 18-44 which means they will be vaccinated by end of January, he added.

During the review meeting, the Chief Minister said that the only solution to COVID-19 is vaccination and it's uncertain when this problem will be resolved. He warned everyone to be cautious of the pandemic situation, which may continue till February 2022.

Speaking about the vaccine production capacity and considering the vaccine doses already administered, Jagan Mohan Reddy stated that the production capacity of vaccines in the country is 7 crores per month and there are 26 crores of people above 45 years of age in the country.

"They should be given two doses over a period of four weeks which would require a total of 52 crore vaccines. The first dose is administered to 12 crore people and only 2.60 crore people received the second dose of vaccine totalling 15 crore doses, 39 crore vaccine doses are required," he added.

'Vaccine demand to be met by August'

Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute are manufacturing vaccines and in few months, Dr Reddys Labs and other company vaccines to be available and the vaccine demand would be met by August or September, the CM said. As the COVID-19 cases continue to rise, Reddy instructed officials to increase beds in COVID-dedicated hospitals and arrange 1000 oxygen beds and 2000 non-oxygen beds in COVID care centres in every district.