Trying to save vaccines: Govt panel on delaying shots to Covid survivors

Narendra Kumar Arora, head of the govt's National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, said that given the vaccine shortage in India, the focus should have been on immunising the most at risk

India is trying to save scarce Covid-19 vaccines by delaying shots for those who have recovered from the disease, the head of a government panel said, adding the campaign should not have been opened to all adults before covering the most vulnerable.

Under fire for his handling of the world's worst rise in coronavirus infections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made all adults eligible for vaccination from May 1.

Vaccine shortages have now forced many regions, including the capital New Delhi, to again prioritise those aged above 45.

The federal government on Wednesday said patients should go for their vaccination three