Supreme Court judges will be administered coronavirus vaccines, starting from Tuesday, NDTV reported on Monday. Families of the judges and those who have retired as judges of the Supreme Court will also be eligible for inoculation. However, the judges will not have the option of choosing the vaccine they want – Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin or Serum Institute of India’s Covishield, the health ministry said, according to ANI.
“It will be entirely through Co-Win System,” the ministry said. This came after initial reports said the judges will get the option to select which vaccine they want to be administered.
The Supreme Court registry has arranged a vaccination facility at the annexe building of the court, according to Bar and Bench, while the judges and their families will also have the option to get the shot in any of the government-listed hospitals.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court had agreed to hear a petition seeking inclusion of lawyers, judges and court staff in the priority list for coronavirus vaccination. The court had sought Centre’s response in the matter.
Monday marked the beginning of he second phase of the vaccination drive in India. People above 60 years of age and those above 45 with co-morbidities will be eligible for the vaccine in this phase. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took his first dose of the coronavirus vaccine at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi. He was administered the Covaxin shot.
In the second phase of vaccination, around 10,000 private hospitals under Ayushman Bharat, more than 600 hospitals under the Central Government Health Scheme, and other private hospitals enrolled under state schemes can administer the vaccine.
Private hospitals are allowed to charge up to Rs 250 for each dose of the vaccine, while inoculation at government hospitals will be free. By expanding the vaccination drive, government is hoping to control the surge in coronavirus cases across several states. India had begun the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines on January 16, with a target of inoculating 30 crore people by July.
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