The Indian government will provide all residents 18 and older with a free COVID-19 vaccine starting later this month.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the shift in vaccine distribution on Monday, federalizing India’s vaccine rollout. The national government previously gave free vaccines only to front-line workers and adults 45 and older while relying on local governments and private companies to cover those ages 18-44.
All adults can receive a free vaccine starting June 21. Private hospitals will still administer vaccines as well.
“Whether it is the poor, the lower middle class, the middle class, or the upper-middle class, under the federal government program, everyone will get free vaccines,” Modi said in a televised address, according to Reuters.
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In late April, India fell victim to COVID-19 variants, experiencing a case surge that saw an increase of 386,452 new cases in a 24-hour period on April 30. President Joe Biden and others restricted travel to the country as a result.
The rise in cases resulted in a vaccine shortage that forced the government to order 300 million doses of an unapproved vaccine from the Indian company Biological E, according to the BBC.
Under the previous plan, many local governments provided the vaccinations for free but were forced to compete for supply with the private sector as vaccine makers sold their doses to private companies that were willing to pay a higher price, according to the Associated Press. In a Thursday opinion, the Indian Supreme Court wrote that the old policy was “arbitrary and irrational,” pressuring the government to review it.
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Starting later this month, the federal government will oversee 75% of doses yet to be administered, leaving 25% to the private sector, Modi said.
As of Monday, just over 3% of India’s 950 million adults have been fully vaccinated, according to Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus resource center.
