India now mulls Covid boosters for all adults

FE Team | Published: March 22, 2022 20:49:46

NEW DELHI, Mar 22 (Reuters): India is considering making all adults eligible for booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine, two sources with knowledge of the matter said on Monday, as infections grow in some countries and some Indians find it hard to travel abroad without a third dose.
Only frontline workers and those older than 60 are currently allowed to take booster doses in India, whether free in government centres or paid for in private hospitals.
The government is debating whether to provide boosters to other groups for free, said one of the sources, who both sought anonymity as the government has yet to make a decision.
A health ministry spokesperson wrote in a WhatsApp group for reporters: "no decision yet".
The Serum Institute of India (SII), whose Covishield vaccine dominates India's immunisation programme, said on Monday it stopped the shot's production in December but still had a stock of 200 million doses. It has produced 1.9 billion doses in total.
Its Chief Executive Adar Poonawalla told CNBC-TV18 that they would restart production of the vaccine, a version of the AstraZeneca shot, if demand returned through boosters or any other way.
India's health ministry, meanwhile, has urged states to boost COVID-19 surveillance measures, citing a resurgence in some parts of Asia and Europe. China and Italy have seen a recent rise in cases.