People aged 60 years or older and with comorbidities, or underlying health disorders, will not need to produce or submit any medical certificate to receive the third Covid-19 vaccine dose, the Union health ministry said on Tuesday.

But such persons are requested to obtain the advice of their doctors before deciding to avail themselves of the additional “precaution dose”, the ministry said, reversing an earlier decision that recipients would need certificates of comorbidities from medical practitioners.

The expanded Covid-19 vaccination campaign starting in January will seek to immunise 74 million children and provide booster doses to 27 million people aged 60 years or older with comorbidities, the health ministry said, releasing estimates of these populations for the first time.

Health secretary Rajesh Bhushan, in a note sent to all states, released estimates of the two target populations — children between 15 and 18 years to receive vaccine doses starting January 3 and people aged 60 years or older to receive their third doses from January 10.

It has been estimated that Bengal has 4,823,000 children eligible to receive the vaccine and around 2,209,600 people in the 60 years or older age group with comorbidities are eligible for their third doses.

“All citizens irrespective of their income status are entitled to free vaccinations at government centres. But those who can pay are encouraged to use private hospitals,” the note said.

Bhushan also urged states to ensure due focus on the full vaccination of their eligible populations. The campaign has thus far administered first doses to about 90 per cent and second doses to 62 per cent of the country’s estimated 944 million adults.

He also cautioned that there is a possibility of increased instances of crowding in the poll-bound states — Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh — and said the next week and fortnight would be “crucial to maximising” vaccination coverage in these states.

While Uttarakhand and Goa have achieved vaccination coverage levels higher than the national average — first dose to 90 per cent and two doses to 62 per cent of adults — Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Manipur have lower levels of vaccination coverage than the national average.