Delhi govt steps up efforts to boost jabs

As per the Delhi Disaster Management Authority’s (DDMA) order, “persons who are going for Covid-19 testing or vaccination, can do so on production of valid identity card.”

District administrations have stepped up efforts to mobilise people, especially in lower-income groups, for Covid-19 vaccinations and ensure that there is no significant drop in inoculation numbers due to the six-day-long curfew.

A health worker administers a dose of Covid-19 vaccine at Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital. (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

While there was a slight drop in the number of walk-ins at vaccination centres in some districts on Tuesday, the first day of the week-long curfew, officials said the drop was negligible.

District officials said the government’s decision to do away with e-passes for vaccination, which was mandatory for travel, even to the vaccination centre, during the earlier weekend curfew, has helped in mobilising people — especially from the lower income group — to get vaccinated.

As per the Delhi Disaster Management Authority’s (DDMA) order, “persons who are going for Covid-19 testing or vaccination, can do so on production of valid identity card.”

“There are nearly 80,000-100,000 people getting vaccinated daily. It is not possible to issue so many e-passes. As most vaccination centres are located near residential areas, people can just walk down to the centres,” said a senior revenue department official, asking not to be named.

On the first day of the curfew, administrations provided vehicles to take residents to vaccination centres and teams of ASHA (accredited social health activists), ANMs (auxillary nurse midwives) and civil defence volunteers were deployed to get people to the centres.

A senior New Delhi district official said, “There is no major change in vaccination coverage due to the curfew. We are providing vehicles to bring beneficiaries to the vaccination centre and field staff (ASHA, ANM) are working in their areas to get people to the centres.”

A senior north-west district official said, “Close to 50% of the people coming to the centre are walk-ins. Today, there is a slight drop in the number of walk-ins. But that could be due to the festival period (last day of Navratras and the ongoing Ramzan fasting).”

In the Central district, the administration is running registrations camps near densely populated lower income group areas where people can register before being taken to vaccination centres.

In the private sector, too, hospitals such as BLK hospital, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and Max Healthcare said there was no major impact on vaccination due to the curfew.