Delhi govt orders its hospitals to run 1/3rd of vaccination centres 24*7

Two weeks ago, all Delhi government hospitals were asked to open six vaccination sites and run them for twelve hours, from 9am and 9pm; the current order asks them to continue running the centres from 9pm to 9am

The Delhi government on Monday ordered its hospitals to keep one-third of their Covid-19 vaccination sites running round the clock, in order to further speed up the vaccination drive in the city. Two weeks ago, all Delhi government hospitals were asked to open six vaccination sites and run them for twelve hours, from 9am and 9pm.

People wait to get vaccinated against Covid-19, at Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital, in New Delhi on Thursday, April 1. (Raj K Raj/HT photo)

Monday’s order by S Sunil, deputy secretary of Delhi’s health and family welfare department, reads, “In order to accelerate the pace of Covid-19 vaccination, it has been decided that the timings of functioning of the Covid vaccination centres should be further increased… It is hereby ordered that with effect from 06.04.2021, one-third of the vaccination sites in all the Delhi government hospitals will also function from 9pm to 9am.”

There are nearly 782 vaccination sites across the city, with five to six of them in the same hospitals. The government is also looking to open outreach sites at community centres and schools.

Delhi has been administering over 64,000 shots each day since April 1 when the vaccination drive was opened up to everyone over the age of 45 years. There are nearly 6.5 million people in Delhi over the age of 45, according to the Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain.

The city recorded over 4,000 cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in a day on Sunday.