Briefing reporters on the decisions taken by the Union Cabinet, he said even people without comorbidity and above the age of 45 years, can get vaccinated.
An elderly woman gets her first dose of COVID-19 vaccine as others wait, in Kolkata, on Tuesday. PIC/PTI
From April 1, all people above 45 years of age are entitled to get COVID-19 vaccine, Union minster Prakash Javadekar said on Tuesday. Briefing reporters on the decisions taken by the Union Cabinet, he said even people without comorbidity and above the age of 45 years, can get vaccinated.
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The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 with healthcare workers getting inoculated and vaccination of the frontline workers started from February 2. The next phase commenced on March 1 for senior citizens and those aged 45 and above with specified comorbid conditions.
Meanwhile, India recorded 40,715 new cases and 199 fatalities in a day, showed the Union health ministry data as of 8 am on Tuesday. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, 9,67,459 samples were tested on Monday.
At 3,45,377, the active caseload registered an increase for the 13th day in a row. It now comprises 2.96 per cent of the total infections, while the recovery rate has further dropped to 95.67 per cent.
‘81% of 401 Punjab samples +ve for UK variant’
Eighty-one per cent of the 401 samples sent by the government for genome sequencing have tested positive for the UK variant of COVID-19, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said on Tuesday, asking the Centre to widen the vaccination net to cover those younger than 60.
The Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday that so far 795 Indians have been infected by the mutant variants reported in the UK, South Africa and Brazil, reported NDTV. And over half of them were reported since March 18, and 326 of them are UK variant found in Punjab alone.
He urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to widen the vaccination ambit to cover those younger than 60 as the mutant has been found to be infecting young people more, stated a statement issued by him.
In one day, 34 auto drivers in Surat test positive for COVID
At least 34 autorickshaw drivers have tested positive for coronavirus in a single day during a special drive in Surat, Gujarat, to identify potential “super-spreaders”, an official said on Tuesday. Surat city is seeing a fresh surge in cases, with 429 new infections being detected on Monday. He said drivers of autorickshaws, vegetable vendors and grocers are being tested on a largescale.
1,16,86,796
Total number of cases in the country as of Sunday
1,60,166
Total no. of deaths due to the virus in India
1,11,81,253
Patients Recovered and discharged in India as of Sunday
4,84,94,594
(Total no. of people vaccinated so far)
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