Everyone above 18 years of age will be eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19 from May 1, the Centre said on Monday as it liberalised the vaccination drive to allow states, private hospitals and industrial establishments to procure doses directly from manufacturers.

Under the third phase of the vaccination drive commencing next month, vaccine manufacturers would supply 50 per cent of their monthly Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) released doses to the Union government and would be free to supply the remaining 50 per cent doses to state governments and in the open market.

Manufacturers would have to make an advance declaration of the price for 50 per cent supply that would be available to the state governments and in the open market before May 1, 2021, an official statement said.

Based on this price, state governments, private hospitals, industrial establishments, etc would be able to procure vaccine doses from manufacturers.

Private hospitals would have to procure supplies of COVID-19 vaccine exclusively from the 50 per cent supply earmarked for entities other than those coming through the central government channel.

The private vaccination providers would need to transparently declare their self-set vaccination price and the eligibility through this channel would be opened up to all adults, that is everyone above the age of 18, the statement added.

Vaccination will continue as before in government of India vaccination centres free of cost to the eligible population -- healthcare and frontline workers and all people above 45 years of age.

The Union health ministry said the important decision to allow vaccination to everyone above the age of 18 from May 1 was taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The Prime Minister said that the government has been working hard for over a year to ensure that maximum number of Indians are able to get the vaccine in the shortest possible time. He added that India is vaccinating people at world record pace and we will continue this with even greater momentum," it added.