Vaccination outreach expanded in city to cover beneficiaries above 45 years

From Thursday, people above 45 years of age will be eligible for the Covid-19 vaccination

From Thursday, people above 45 years of age will be eligible for the Covid-19 vaccination.

HT Image

The city’s health department has increased the number of vaccination sites to 210 and added more staff and resources to reach out to the beneficiaries. Each site will cater to 100 beneficiaries.

Gurugram chief medical officer Virender Yadav said that 153 sites will be in government health care facilities and the rest will be in private hospitals.

“The department has also asked private hospitals to ensure more people are inoculated at their centres,” he said.

Since the start of the vaccination drive in January, Gurugram has vaccinated nearly 14,000 people -- 12,383 in government hospitals and 1,906 in government hospitals.

Beneficiaries can choose to register themselves online -- through the Co-Win app -- or at a vaccination centres and receive appointment date, time and site. While government hospitals offer free vaccines, private hospitals charge ₹250 per shot. Beneficiaries are required to bring with them one valid ID proofs such as Aadhar, driving licence, PAN card, passport, pension passbook, voter ID card or NPR Smart Card. The nearest vaccination centre can be found on Co-Win app or Aargoya Setu.

Gurugram is among the Union government’s eight “districts of concern” --- where Covid-19 surged in the recent weeks. The city had only 36 new cases and a total tally of 59,029 on March 1; on March 31, the city reported 276 fresh cases taking the tally to 63,013.

Yadav also appealed to residents to wear masks and follow social distancing norms. “Wear masks religiously even if you are vaccinated. We are also working with civic agencies to create awareness regarding strict mask discipline,” he said.

Apart from expanding vaccine outreach, the department is focussing on testing, tracing and screening people in affected areas. “We are testing more people to ensure Covid-19 does not spread,” he said.

The Gurugram district administration on Wednesday evening increased the reservation of beds in private and public hospitals from the current 35 percent to 50 percent in view of the rising number of Covid-19 infections.