India has begun offering a booster dose of COVID-19 to all adults, but only first-line workers and people over 60 will receive free injections at government centers, the Associated Press reported.
India’s Ministry of Health said in a statement Friday that people will be able to receive a booster injection nine months after the second dose. People outside the two priority categories will have to pay for a booster dose at private facilities.
About 96% of people over the age of 15 have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in India, and about 83% of people have received two doses, according to official figures. In India, a booster injection program began in January with access to healthcare and first-line workers, as well as people over 60 with health problems.
India has seen a sharp decline in new coronavirus cases in recent weeks, with the Ministry of Health reporting 1,054 new cases in the last 24 hours.