Free booster dose for all those who completed their second dose of vaccination against COVID will be administered at all government hospitals from Friday.
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It will be given to only those who are above the age of 18 years and completed six months from their second dose, a government release said.
The release added that the latest vaccination programme will be held for 75 days. The booster dose was, so far, permitted by the Central government for only those above 60 years. The 18 plus category of people were allowed to take booster dose at private hospitals from April 10.
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Since free booster dose was not available with it and a new variant of COVID had started assuming a large proportion, the State government requested the Centre to supply the booster dose for all those above 18 years of age and who completed both doses earlier.
Health Minister T. Harish Rao addressed letters to the Centre thrice. He again appealed to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to give permission at a video conference with Health Ministers of all States on June 13.
The Centre had finally given the permission to go ahead. So, the Minister has ordered that 20 lakh doses of Covishield and Covaxin available with the government at its institutions be used to cover all those above the age of 18.
The release added that the booster dose will be administered at all primary health centres, junior, degree and engineering colleges, and universities. It will be available round-the-clock at Secunderabad, Nampally and Kazipet railway stations and Mahatma Gandhi and Jubilee bus stations.
Vaccination will be done on request by housing societies, offices, industries, factories and other work places.