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The Andhra Pradesh government on Friday announced that it will be providing COVID-19 vaccines for free for those between the ages of 18 and 45 when the vaccination drive opens for those above 18 on May 1.
More than two crore people across the state are expected to benefit from the move, the government said, adding that it will be bearing the cost — approximately Rs 1,600 crore — of vaccinating this age group. The Chief Minister has also directed officials to place orders for COVID-19 vaccines accordingly. The state government has estimated that there are a total of 2,04,70,364 vaccine beneficiaries in the state between 18 to 45 years of age.
“Andhra Pradesh government has given vaccination top priority from the beginning. To take it closer to the people, vaccinations will be given to those aged 18 to 45 for free. With this decision, across the state, more than 2 crore people between ages 18 to 45 will benefit, This is the most crucial step towards preventing COVID-19 in the state,” Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas (Nani) told the media.
Andhra Pradesh is the third state in the south of India to announce free vaccines for those between the ages of 18 and 45. Tamil Nadu and Kerala have also announced free vaccines. In the rest of the country, Goa, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Kerala, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have also announced free vaccines for those above the age of -18.
The announcement by the Andhra government comes after the Chief Minister held talks with the managements of Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech and Hetero drugs and reportedly asked the companies to provide adequate COVID-19 vaccines and the anti-COVID-19 remidesvir drugs to ease the process of vaccination and treatment of COVID-19 patients.
In the same meeting, the Andhra government has also announced that there will be a night curfew from 10 pm to 5 am from Saturday (April 24) to further contain the spread of the coronavirus.
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