COVID-19 continues to remain a health crisis in India, with new cases coming in every day. In a sigh of relief, the recoveries have also peaked, which means less fatalities due to the virus as compared to previous months. But the only solution to the COVID problem is a vaccine, which is yet to be made available pending trials.
Even though the COVID-19 pandemic took the world by surprise, there wasn't little time to prepare and take necessary actions in time. This resulted in the virus getting out of hand, even in India with its 1.38 billion population. But the Indian government has prepared a plan for when the vaccine is ready to avoid such confusion and panic.
Speaking of the vaccine rollout, health ministry sources said: "We have a rough estimate of about 3 crore people who have been identified to be vaccinated in the first tranche. This would include about 70-80 lakh crore doctors and around 2 crore healthcare workers."
Who will get COVID-19 vaccine first in India?
Once an effective vaccine for coronavirus is released, everyone wants to be the first to get the shot. To avoid panic in such a situation, the government has a plan. There are 4 categories for choosing priority groups of vaccination in the initial phase. These groups consist of:
- Nearly 1 crore healthcare professionals including doctors, MBBS students, nurses, and ASHA workers
- Around 2 crore front-line workers including municipal corporation workers, police personnel and armed forces
- About 26 crore people aged above 50
- A special group of people aged below 50 with co-morbidities who require specialised care
This order is structured to ensure those who are at high risk of contracting the infection are vaccinated first. Eventually, India's 1.3 billion people will be vaccinated.
