This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/57400891

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
India coronavirus: What is the government's change to vaccine policy? India Covid: What are the claims around the 'free vaccine' policy?
(14 days later)
Citizens of the city of Kolkata being vaccinatedCitizens of the city of Kolkata being vaccinated
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that all adults in India will now get free vaccines. India has announced a record eight million jabs on the first day of a new vaccination push, the highest number it's done so far.
"It has been decided that from 21 June, all adults over the age of 18 will be vaccinated [for] free," Mr Modi said. Under a newly-introduced policy, the federal government now buys Covid-19 jabs directly from manufacturers and supplies them to the state authorities.
"Whether it is the poor, the lower middle class, the middle class, or the upper middle class, under the central government programme, everyone will get free vaccines," Mr Modi said. India is one of the largest vaccine makers in the world.
But what does this mean for vaccination strategy in India, which has struggled with a severe second wave of coronavirus? But its own vaccination drive has been moving at a slow pace with just over 5% of the population fully vaccinated.
How has the policy changed? Is this a world record for one day?
Prime Minister Modi's announcement came in a national address on TV, in which he talked about the history and logistics of vaccine programmes in India. On the first day of the new policy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the pace of India's vaccine programme.
Responsibility for vaccinations in India has historically been shared between the federal government in Delhi and state governments. Mr Modi had announced earlier this month that everyone would get "free vaccines" from 21 June.
Prime Minister Modi made a national TV address on the vaccination programme (file photo) Today’s record-breaking vaccination numbers are gladdening. The vaccine remains our strongest weapon to fight COVID-19. Congratulations to those who got vaccinated and kudos to all the front-line warriors working hard to ensure so many citizens got the vaccine. Well done India!
Under the earlier Covid vaccine policy, half of all vaccines produced in India went to the federal government, and the rest went to state administrations and private hospitals. Health Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan, tweeted that the eight million jabs was the highest number of doses administered in a single day globally.
But now the federal government will buy 75% of all vaccines manufactured. But that's not correct as China holds the record for administering the highest number of doses in a single day, going by figures compiled by Our World in Data.
The state governments will receive their vaccines doses for free from the federal government, instead of negotiating directly with manufacturers. It gave out 20.8 million doses on 21 June, and has also been ramping up its vaccination programme.
However, it was a single day record for India, leading some Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politicians to praise the move by the federal government to take over the vaccination drive.
Under the leadership of PM @NarendraModi ji, India clocked its highest ever vaccination numbers by administering over 85 lakh vaccine doses in a single day. This has been driven by the efficient model of centralised vaccination along with ground level efforts by state Govts. pic.twitter.com/xNOWz8V1ha
The total number of vaccines administered rose by over 90% on 21 June, compared with the previous day.
But it is worth noting that vaccine doses administered in some states had dropped noticeably in the days leading up to 21 June.
In Madhya Pradesh, the numbers dropped significantly by 82% from 13-16 June and 17-20 June.
In Haryana, vaccine administration dropped by 22% between 15-17 June and 18-20 June before it achieved the highest single-day record.
Numbers dropped on the previous day in other states as well - something that is usually seen on Sundays.
And It was significantly lower than usual in Gujarat and Assam states.
India has administered over 276 million vaccine doses since January, that's less than 30% of the eligible adult population.
India's adult population is estimated as being around 950 million.
India's vaccine drive picked up pace in early April, with 3.66 million doses administered on 10 April, the highest figure achieved by that date.
But it fell by nearly half in mid-May and several states suspended vaccinations for the 18-44 age group due to shortages.
Experts say that India had failed to order enough vaccines last year to avoid shortages.
What has the new policy changed?
The federal government now buys 75% of all vaccines manufactured.
The state governments get their vaccines doses for free from the federal government, rather than having to negotiate directly with manufacturers.
How India's vaccine drive went horribly wrong
What do we know about India's new vaccines?
The successes and failures of India's vaccine drive
However, it's worth noting that the remaining 25% of vaccines are still set aside for procurement by private hospitals as before.However, it's worth noting that the remaining 25% of vaccines are still set aside for procurement by private hospitals as before.
These vaccinations are not free - people have to pay at private hospitals. These vaccinations are not free - and have to be paid for at private hospitals.
The federal government has fixed prices for the three approved vaccines at 780 rupees ($10.7; £7.5) for Covishield, 1,145 rupees ($15.7; £11) for Sputnik V, and 1,410 rupees ($19.3; £13.6) for Covaxin.The federal government has fixed prices for the three approved vaccines at 780 rupees ($10.7; £7.5) for Covishield, 1,145 rupees ($15.7; £11) for Sputnik V, and 1,410 rupees ($19.3; £13.6) for Covaxin.
What does it mean in practice? Prime Minister Modi made a national TV address on the vaccination programme (file photo)
It means that state governments will now receive their allocated vaccine doses from the federal government based on the population of those states, the level of disease, vaccination progress and vaccine wastage. Under the previous Covid vaccine policy, only half of all vaccines produced in India went to the federal government and 25% each to state administrations and private hospitals.
The states competed in the open market for the vaccines doses for 18-44 age group, but recipients were able to get them for free at state government's vaccination centres.
Meanwhile, the federal government was vaccinating frontline workers and those aged above 45 years - also for free.
Which means that in practice, 75% of vaccines were anyway administered free.
But state governments will now receive their allocated vaccine doses from the federal government based on the population of those states, the level of disease, vaccination progress and vaccine wastage.
That relieves the state authorities of having to purchase doses from the manufacturer at higher prices than were offered to the federal government.That relieves the state authorities of having to purchase doses from the manufacturer at higher prices than were offered to the federal government.
How India's vaccine drive went horribly wrong The announcement happened just days after the previous policy attracted criticism from India's top court, which called it "arbitrary" and "irrational".
It also hands more control over the vaccine rollout to Delhi.
The announcement also comes just days after the previous policy attracted criticism from India's top court, which called it "arbitrary" and "irrational".
It questioned the rationale behind making states pay more for vaccines than the federal government had to.It questioned the rationale behind making states pay more for vaccines than the federal government had to.
States had to procure them on the open market, and so the financial burden on some of the poorest states such as Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh significantly increased. "This is a step in the right direction and will streamline some procurement-related challenges," says health policy expert Dr Chandrakant Lahariya.
"This is a step in the right direction and will streamline some procurement-related challenges," says public policy and systems expert Dr Chandrakant Lahariya. But he adds that it doesn't change much for ordinary citizens as vaccines were already free at government centres.
What does it mean for ordinary people? Can India get all adults vaccinated this year?
The new policy is in fact similar to what India did when it began its vaccine rollout in January this year.The new policy is in fact similar to what India did when it began its vaccine rollout in January this year.
This was even acknowledged by Mr Modi himself, who said "the old system, in place before 1 May, will be implemented again."This was even acknowledged by Mr Modi himself, who said "the old system, in place before 1 May, will be implemented again."
"This announcement doesn't change much for citizens," says Dr Lahariya. The idea is that with states no longer needing to buy vaccines directly, they will not end up competing against each for a limited supply (which led to shortages in some areas.)
The original policy was changed in April, when India was hit by a dramatic surge in case numbers and India's vaccine drive was faltering.
States were then allowed to bid for vaccines directly from manufacturers, which it was hoped would encourage other vaccine makers to enter the Indian market and boost supply.
Can India get all adults vaccinated this year?
But it didn't work out like that, and shortages of vaccines began to emerge in a number of places as supply couldn't keep up with demand.
We've looked in other pieces at the challenges that face Indian vaccine manufacturers in trying to ramp up production.
How is the vaccination drive going?
India has administered a total of nearly 235 million vaccine doses since January.
The vaccine drive picked up pace in early April, with 3.66 million doses administered on 10 April, the highest so far.
But that figure then fell by nearly half in mid-May and several states suspended vaccinations for the 18-44 age group due to shortages.
India's adult population is estimated as being over 900 million.
The Indian government has pledged to vaccinate all adults by the end of the year, a target many experts say would be difficult to meet at the current pace.
Read more from Reality CheckRead more from Reality Check
Send us your questionsSend us your questions