Coronavirus news - live: India begins free vaccination drive for adults as Covid cases fall further

All adults in India can get a Covid-19 jab for free starting today as the central government implements its new vaccination strategy which was announced earlier this month.

In a policy reversal, prime minister Narendra Modi had announced that the government will procure 75 per cent of the stocks from manufacturers and would allocate to states while 25 per cent could be purchased by private hospitals to be sold for those willing to pay for the jab.

A senior government official told News18 that the daily vaccinations could reach five million on Monday for the first time as several states have set a high individual goal. The state of Uttar Pradesh aims to administer 700,000 doses daily, while Madhya Pradesh has a target of 1 million vaccinations for Monday.

This comes as India reported 53,256 new coronavirus cases in the 24 hours ending Monday morning, and 1,422 deaths. This is the lowest single-day jump in infections in the last 88 days.

Meanwhile, South Korea has announced that all social distancing rules will be relaxed and private gatherings of up to six people will be allowed from 1 July.

South Korea has inoculated 29.2 per cent of its population as of Saturday. The government plans to vaccinate 70 of the people by September.

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