booster shots available to all adults for a fee from Sunday, officials said, as the number of new virus cases in the country drops sharply.
The nation of 1.3 billion has administered 1.85 billion Covid-19 shots so far, giving 96% of the population a single dose and 83% two jabs. "It has been decided that a precautionary dose of the Covid vaccine will be made available to the 18 population at private vaccination centres," the health ministry said in a statement Friday.
The ministry said that those who had taken their second dose nine months previously would be eligible for the shot, which they will have to pay for at private facilities.
The government in January launched a state-funded booster programme for health workers and people older than 60, which has since administered 24 million shots.