India yesterday began offering a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to all adults, but only first-line workers and people over the age of 60 will receive free injections at government centers, the Associated Press reported.
In a statement on Friday, the Indian Ministry of Health said people would be able to receive a “precautionary dose” injection nine months after being vaccinated with a second dose. People outside the two priority categories will have to pay for the booster dose in private institutions.
According to official data, about 96% of people over the age of 15 have been injected with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in India so far, and about 83% of people have been injected with two doses. In India, the booster injection program began in January, with access to health and first-line workers, as well as people over the age of 60 with health problems.
In recent weeks, India has seen a sharp drop in the number of new coronavirus cases, and the Ministry of Health has reported 1,054 new cases in the last 24 hours.
A new strain of coronavirus
A new strain of coronavirus, XE, has been identified in the Indian state of Gujarat in a man traveling from Mumbai, state officials said. Doctors distinguish three different lines formed as a result of mutations in different strains of coronavirus – XD, XE and XF. The XD and XF lines are a combination of the delta and submicron BA.1 variants, and the XE line is a combination of the BA.1 and BA.2 micron variants.
“A man from the Santacrus district of Mumbai tested positive for COVID-19 during a visit to the city of Vadodara on March 12,” Vadodara medical officer Devesh Patel told a news conference.
The man visited Vadodara on business and was staying at the hotel. Patel said that after he had a fever, the man was tested for COVID-19 in a private laboratory, which was positive. After some time, the man returned to Mumbai, and the results of the sequencing of his genome were not ready until April 8.
“On March 12, he tested positive. His sample was sent for genome sequencing. According to the results announced on April 8, it has been established that he is infected with a new variant of the XE mutant … “, said Patel.
Earlier, authorities in Mumbai reported the first case of infection with a strain of coronavirus XE in India. A new variant of the coronavirus has been identified in a 50-year-old fully vaccinated woman who arrived on February 10th from South Africa. Her infection was discovered in March, and the woman is currently recovering and feeling well. Authorities in Mumbai said they had tracked down people who came in contact with her and had not identified any of them infected with the coronavirus.
