Vaccinations will be opened to all above 18 from May 1, the government on Monday announced after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a series of meetings over India's response to record daily surges in Covid cases. 

Here are some important new rules:

*Vaccine manufacturers will supply 50 per cent of their monthly Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) released doses to the central government.
*They will be free to supply the remaining doses to state governments and in the open market.

*Manufacturers will declare prices in advance. Based on this price, state governments, private hospitals, industrial establishments can buy vaccine.

*Free of cost vaccinations at central government centers will continue for those eligible currently like health workers, frontline workers and those above 45.

*The second dose for those eligible currently will remain a priority.
*In recent weeks, states like Maharashtra, Delhi and Punjab had called for opening up vaccination campaigns. But also had complained about running out of vaccine stocks.

While vaccinations have been slow compared to the centre's target, the country has clocked over two lakh cases daily in the past few days. Recently, the government fast-tracked approvals for foreign vaccines cleared in other countries.

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