The Union Health Ministry on Saturday announced that India’s massive vaccination programme against the coronavirus will begin on January 16 after the harvest festivals such as Lohri, Makar Sankranti, Pongal and Magh Bihu.
Priority will be given to frontline healthcare workers, which is estimated to be around three crore people. This will be followed by those above 50 years of age, and the under-50 population groups with co-morbidities. An estimated 27 crore people fall under the second category.
The announcement came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting to review the coronavirus situation in the country, the government said in a statement. “The prime minister was also apprised on the three phases of dry runs having been conducted across the country,” it added.
To assess the preparedness at all levels before the actual rollout of the vaccine, a third dry run on Friday covered 4,895 sites across 615 districts in 33 states and Union…