The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 last year with healthcare workers getting inoculated in the first phase. Vaccination of frontline workers started on February 2 last year. The next phase of COVID-19?vaccination?commenced on March 1 last year for people over 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified comorbid conditions. Vaccination?for people aged more than 45 years began on April 1 last year. The government then decided to expand the ambit of the vaccination drive by allowing everyone above 18 years to be inoculated against Covid from May 1 last year.

Inoculation of adolescents in the age group of 15-18 years commenced on January 3. So?far, 3.46 crore children in the age group of 12-14 years and 5.96 crore adolescents in the age group 15-18 years have been administered the first dose of the vaccine. The country began inoculating children aged 12-14 on March 16 and also removed the comorbidity clause making all people aged above 60 eligible for the precaution dose of the Covid?vaccine.