2nd phase Covid-19 vaccination drive from March 1

New Delhi: The second phase of Covid-19 vaccination in the country will begin from March 1 in which people above 60 years of age and those above 45 years of age with comorbidities will be vaccinated, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference after the Union Cabinet meeting, the minister said that those who would take the vaccine at private centres will have to pay from their own pocket.

"The second phase of vaccination from March 1 in which people above 60 years of age and those above 45 years of age with comorbidities will be vaccinated at 10,000 government and over 20,000 private vaccination centres. The vaccine will be given free of cost at government centres," Javadekar said.

"Those who would take the vaccine at private centres will have to pay. The amount will be decided by the Health ministry within the next 3-4 days as they are in discussion with manufacturers and hospitals," he said.

The Union minister said that 1,07,67,000 people have been vaccinated against Covid-19 so far in the first phase of vaccination which began on January 16. "14 lakh people have received a second dose as well. In the first phase, healthcare and frontline workers were vaccinated, and the expenditure was borne by the government," Javadekar said.

India has reported 13,742 new cases of coronavirus and 104 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday. With this, the total number of Covid-19 cases in India stands at 1,10,30,176 and the active cases tally is 1,46,907. While as many as 1,56,567 deaths have been reported, a total of 1,07,26,702 people have been discharged.