The government has ordered 83 crore syringes for the COVID-19 vaccination drive and Universal Immunization Programme in the country.

The Union Health Ministry said the center has also invited bids for 35 crores more syringes. Government has prioritized 30 crore people for the COVID vaccine which includes health workers, frontline workers and sanitation staff.

Earlier, the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration of COVID-19 has recommended three prioritized population groups including Healthcare Workers of about one crore, Frontline Workers about 2 crores, and the Prioritized Age Group about 27 crores.

As vaccines are temperature sensitive and need to be stored at specific temperatures, the present cold chain system consisting of 85 thousand 634 equipment for storage of vaccines at about 28 thousand 947 cold chain points across the country will be used for the cold chain administration.