Jharkhand to provide free COVID-19 vaccine to all above 18 years of age: CM

Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], April 23 All residents of Jharkhand above 18 years will be given free vaccination for COVID-19, state Chief Minister Hemant Soren has announced.

"In Jharkhand, the corona vaccine will be provided free of cost to people above the age of 18 by the state government," Soren said in a tweet on Thursday night.

"The government is working day and night to help people in this drastic transition. I am confident that with the cooperation of all, we will beat corona again. Corona will lose, Jharkhand will win," he added.

The governments of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh and Kerala have also announced that everyone above 18 years of age would be provided free COVID-19 vaccine.

The Centre on April 19 had announced a ''liberalised'' policy, making all above 18 years of age eligible to get vaccinated from May 1. It has also allowed state governments and private hospitals to purchase vaccines from manufacturers.

As per the central government, manufacturers of Covid-19 vaccines will be free to supply 50 per cent doses to state governments and in the open market, for which they will have to make an advance declaration of the price before May 1.

India had started the COVID-19 vaccination drive on January 16 with two vaccines -- Covishield (Oxford-AstraZeneca's vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India) and Covaxin (manufactured by Bharat Biotech Limited).

India commenced its second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive to inoculate people above 60 years and those over 45 with comorbidities against the coronavirus from March 1. The third phase began on April 1 for all above 45 years of age.

Recently, Russia's Sputnik V also got approval from the Subject expert committee (SEC) for Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA), making it the third Covid-19 vaccine to get clearance in India.

( With inputs from ANI )