Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said the government has allowed coronavirus vaccinations to work 24×7 for the convenience of beneficiaries, a step he said was meant to ease the process for people.
Hospitals welcomed the move, saying segregated timings would mean less crowding.
“People can get vaccinated 24×7 as per their convenience as Prime Minister Narendra Modi understands the value of both time and health of citizens,” the minister tweeted in Hindi.
“Most hospitals anyway work 24×7, like ours, so they can also offer vaccine shots. It makes sense to leave the slots open ended especially for working professionals who do not have any fixed timings and prefer early mornings or late nights,” said Dr Anupam Sibal, group medical director, Apollo Hospitals.
The Union health ministry has been making modifications to the vaccination process since it was opened for the general public on March 1 to suit the needs of the elderly and those with comorbidities.
India reports 17,407 new Covid-19 cases, 14,031 discharges and 89 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the health ministry. Also, 242 cases of virus variants have been confirmed in India, said the health ministry on Thursday.
More than 1.63 crore people have received a coronavirus vaccine in India so far. While there has been no case of any adverse effect on anyone, some recipients have reported some side-effects or mild illness.
A large number of experts have underlined that these are expected in a small number of cases — and that these ought not to dissuade people from taking the shot.