One of the BJP’s trump cards these Assembly polls has been the steady consolidation of its Hindu vote base.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the central government has decided to increase the pace of vaccination against COVID-19 in July and August.

Talking to reporters after visiting a vaccination centre here, Shah said with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to provide free vaccine against COVID-19 to people aged 18 and above, "we will fast achieve the goal of inoculating almost everyone".

"The central government has decided to increase the pace of vaccination in July and August," he added. Shah said from Monday morning, an important journey has started in the fight against COVID-19 under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The PM had taken an important decision that the Centre will provide free of cost vaccination to those aged 18 and above, he said. In a country having such huge population, providing free vaccination is a big decision, he said.

On the International Yoga Day on Monday, the drive of free vaccine for all is being launched across the country, Shah said, adding that India was already on top in the vaccination programme.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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"Now we will reach the target to vaccinate almost all very fast," he said. Shah is on a two-day visit to Ahmedabad from Monday.

(With PTI inputs)

Centre to increase pace of COVID-19 vaccination in July-August: Amit Shah

Talking to reporters after visiting a vaccination centre here, Shah said with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to provide free vaccine against COVID-19 to people aged 18 and above, "we will fast achieve the goal of inoculating almost everyone".

One of the BJP’s trump cards these Assembly polls has been the steady consolidation of its Hindu vote base.