Make boosters free

Private channel alone will not be enough

India’s vaccination programme has seen some major changes in the past few days. The government has, for one, opened up access to booster shots — what it calls “precaution doses” — to all individuals over 18. Those above the age of 18 who received their second shot more than nine months earlier will become eligible for a booster, which had already been opened up weeks ago to health care workers, frontline workers, and all those aged 60 and above. These additional shots, however, will have to be taken from private sector channels and not through the free vaccination programme. The