Vaccination 3.0: India’s learning from the first two phases is, empower local decision-making April 2, 2021, 10:25 AM IST Times of India’s Edit Page team comprises senior journalists with wide-ranging interests who debate and opine on the news and issues of the day. Commencement of vaccination for the 45+ age group – originally slated to begin only in August after the priority groups were inoculated – is wise improvisation amid the second Covid wave that recorded 72,000 infections and claimed 459 lives on Wednesday. The previous phases covering healthcare and frontline workers and senior citizens faltered, with scaling up remaining a challenge. Against an estimated 3 crore healthcare and frontline workers, 1.73 crore have taken the first dose and 91 lakh the second dose. Against an estimated 27 crore senior citizens and those with comorbidities, 3.05 crore senior citizens and 78 lakh people with comorbidities have taken first doses.