PM Modi justifies COVID vaccine drive priority; says wave 2 would've been graver otherwise

As India continues to reel under the unprecedented second wave of COVID-19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday evening addressed the Nation. While explaining the logic behind COVID-19 vaccination priority, the Prime Minister said that the Government of India had decided to begin the inoculation drive against Coronavirus after multiple discussion with the Chief Ministers and health experts. 

PM Modi on phased vaccination against COVID

PM Modi said, "Centre had decided that those people, who are at greater health risk due to Coronavirus, will be given priority in vaccination. This is why the healthcare workers, frontline workers, people above 60 years of age and people above 45 years of age having comorbidities were given priority for COVID-19 vaccination."

Remarking that if the frontline workers and healthcare workers would have not been vaccinated on priority before the beginning of the second wave of the pandemic, PM Modi said, "the situation would have become very difficult." He said that the only reason that these people could contribute to India's fight against the pandemic was that they were fully vaccinated against COVID. 

The Prime Minister in his address announced a 100% Centralised Vaccination drive against the COVID-19 pandemic, which will be implemented within two weeks. Making the key announcement, Narendra Modi announced the scrapping of decentralised policy rolled out on May 1, adding that the Centre will account for procurement of 75% of COVID-19 vaccines from the manufacturers and subsequently provide these free to the States for inoculation. The remaining 25% would be available for private players, with a cap on the service charge.

Marking the importance of International Yoga Day, PM Modi said that from June 21 onwards all persons above the age of 18 years will be provided with free COVID-19 vaccines across all districts in the country. The Prime Minister added that the existing policy allowing private hospitals to procure 25% of doses from vaccine makers directly will be continued. However, striking down the differential vaccine prices across private institutions, PM Modi announced that hospitals can only charge a maximum of Rs 150 of service charge per vaccine dose. Monitoring of price capping at private hospitals will be done by the states, he announced. 

"25% of vaccination work which had been handed to states will now be handled by the Centre, it will be implemented in the coming two weeks. Both States and Centre will work as per new guidelines in the coming two weeks. From June 21, free vaccine for people above 18 years," PM Modi said.

COVID situation in India

India so far has recorded over 2,89,09,975 positive cases, out of which, 2,71,59,180 have successfully recovered and 3,49,186 have died. As per the latest reports from MoHFW, in the past 24 hours, 1,00,636 new cases, 1,74,399 fresh recoveries and 2,427 deaths have been reported. Currently, the total number of active cases in the country is 14,01,609. 

(Image: ANI, PTI)