COVID-19 booster shot free for all adults above 75 from July 15 onwards

New Delhi : Coronavirus can be kept away with the help of proper vaccination, to ensure everyone gets the dose in time, the government on Wednesday announced that the booster dose (precautionary dose) will be administered free of cost to all adults for 75 days at the government centers from July 15 onwards.

Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted the decision and said that the move will strengthen India's fight against coronavirus. "I urge all those eligible to get their precaution dose at the earliest," he wrote on twitter.

Nearly 200 crore vaccines have been administered in India so far in adults, over 3.76 crore first dose vaccines have been administered for the 12-14 years age group as on July 13, the Health Ministry said.

According to official data, 96 per cent of the eligible population has received the first dose of coronavirus vaccine and 87 per cent of them have taken both doses of the vaccine.

The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16, 2021, with healthcare workers inoculated in the first phase. Vaccination of frontline workers started from February 2, 2021.