Covid-19 Vax Drive To Begin In India After Festivals On Jan 16

The decision, the government said on Saturday, was taken at a high-level meeting where Modi reviewed the status of COVID-19 and vaccine preparedness across states and union territories. “After the detailed review, it was decided that in view of the forthcoming festivals including Lohri, Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Magh Bihu etc, the COVID-19 vaccination will start from January 16, 2021,” it said. After healthcare and frontline workers, priority will be given to those above 50 years of age and the under-50 population groups with co-morbidities, together numbering around 27 crore, a government statement said. 

According to the Health Ministry guidelines on COVID-19 vaccination, the latest electoral roll for Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly elections will be used to identify the population aged 50 years or more.

A 42-year-old man, who had taken part in the trial of indigenous coronavirus vaccine Covaxin here on December 12, died nine days later, with doctors suspecting poisoning could be the cause.

Bharat Biotech said in a statement that preliminary reviews indicated that the death was unrelated to Covaxin. Madhya Pradesh Medico-Legal Institute Director Dr Ashok Sharma said the doctor who performed autopsy suspected that Marawi died of poisoning. However, the exact cause of death would be known from his viscera test, he added.