COVID booster doses: Private centres can levy up to Rs 150 as service charge, says Centre

The Centre informed states on Saturday that the prophylactic dosage (booster doses) of the COVID-19 vaccine will be available from April 10 and it will be the same vaccine that was used for the first two doses. It added that private vaccination centres can charge up to Rs 150 per dose as service charge in addition to the vaccine cost.

The Centre said on Saturday that precautionary dosage of COVID-19 vaccinations will be accessible at private immunisation centres to everyone over the age of 18 from April 10. All adults who have completed nine months after the successful administration of the second COVID-19  vaccine dose will be eligible for the precautionary jab. 

On Saturday, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan told the health secretaries of all states and Union Territories at an orientation meeting that no new registration for the preventive dosage would be necessary because all due recipients are already listed on the CoWIN platform.

All vaccines must be documented on CoWIN, and private COVID vaccination sites will offer both "online appointment" and "walk-in" registration and immunisation alternatives (CVCs).

It was highlighted that all vaccinations must be positively recorded on CoWin and all private COVID vaccination centres (CVCs) should offer both the options of “online appointment” and “walk-in” registration. 

The immunization sites will be maintained by private CVCs in compliance with the Union Health Ministry's guidelines issued earlier.

“They can charge up to a maximum of Rs 150 per dose as service charge for vaccination over and above the cost of the vaccine,” said Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan.

“Administration of precaution dose will be homologous — same vaccine type will be used for precaution dose which was used for vaccination of first and second dose,” Bhushan added.

Bhushan emphasised that healthcare workers (HCWs), frontline workers (FLWs), and residents aged 60 and up will continue to receive the precautionary dose at vaccination centres, providing free immunisation at government vaccination centres. The state officials were given a thorough briefing on the several new features added to CoWIN, including the extension of the population eligible for the prophylactic dose and the rectification of vaccination certificates by citizens.

Dr Manohar Agnani, Additional Secretary (Health), and other senior officers from the Union Health Ministry, as well as health secretaries, NHM mission directors, and other officials from the states and UTs, attended the virtual meeting.

The states were also urged to hasten up the administration of the ongoing free COVID vaccination to the populace above the age of 12 years, with the first and second doses, and to administer the precaution dose to HCWs, FLWs, and those aged 60 and up at government CVCs.