India began rolling out paid booster shots for all adults from Sunday at a significant time for the country’s vaccination campaign, one of the largest in the world, amid fear over the new highly transmissible XE variant. Anyone over the age of 18 can get their third dose against Covid at private vaccination centers across the country, the government has said. In a tweet marking the start of the rollout, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya wrote in Hindi: “Under the leadership of Prime Minister @NarendraModi ji, the government has taken many steps to defeat Covid. ‘Today, the vaccination of citizens over 18 years old has started in private centers for vaccine doses. People over 18 years old should come forward and get precautionary doses and strengthen this fight.

In a meeting with states and union territories, the central government stressed on Saturday that “the precautionary dose will be that of the same vaccine that was used for the administration of the 1st and 2nd doses.” “He was also advised that no new registration would be required for the precautionary dose as all due recipients are already registered on CoWIN,” a statement from the Ministry of Health said.

In private vaccination centers, there is an option of “walk-in appointment” and “online appointment” through the government registration platform – CoWIN.

Private vaccination centers “may charge up to a maximum of ₹150 as a service charge for vaccination in addition to the cost of the vaccine. vaccination at government vaccination centers,” the Ministry of Health stressed.

A day before the rollout, the vaccine makers – the Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech – announced lower prices for doses at vaccination centers.

While Covishield prices have been reduced by ₹600 to ₹225, for Covaxin, prices have been reduced by ₹1,200 to 225 in private vaccination centers.