Free COVID jabs for all Indian adults as Modi hails yoga ‘shield’

India opens up free vaccination to all adults as PM Narendra Modi kicks off a muted International Yoga Day.

India has opened up free vaccinations to all adults in an attempt to bolster its inoculation drive, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicks off a muted International Yoga Day, hailing the practice’s “protective” properties against the virus. The country’s vaccination drive has significantly slowed in recent months due to a shortage of jabs and hesitancy, even as it battled a vicious surge in cases in April and May that overwhelmed the healthcare system in many places. Case numbers have since fallen sharply, with the country on Monday reporting 53,256 new COVID-19 infections and and 1,422 deaths over the past 24 hours, a government statement showed.