Harsh Vardhan takes 2nd dose of Covid vaccine

New Delhi: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and his wife Nutan Goel on Tuesday took the second dose of the coronavirus vaccine at the Delhi Heart and Lung Institute.

He took the second jab of indigenously developed Covid-19 vaccine 'Covaxin' exactly 28 days after the first shot on March 2.

As per the hospital receipt, the 66-year-old Minister paid Rs 250 charges for the vaccine at the private facility. Rs 100 was paid for 'Covid-19 vaccination administration charges' and Rs 150 for 'Covid-19 vaccine charges'.

The vaccination was done as part of India's second phase of inoculation for those above 60 years of age, and people between 45 and 59 years of age with specific comorbidities.

Now, those over 45 years of age will also get Covid-19 vaccine from April 1, irrespective of the comorbidities.

So far, 6.11 crore doses of corona vaccine have been administered in the country since the drive began on January 16 after approval for 'Covishield' and 'Covaxin'.

The government has raised the interval between the first and second doses of Covishield to up to eight weeks in its ongoing vaccination drive against Covid-19.

However, this is only applicable for Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield and not Bharat Biotech-ICMR's Covaxin, which the Union Health Minister took.