E-Paper
UP aims at 100% first dose vaccination by year-end
The integrated Covid command and control centres will be activated for the vaccination drive. Along with tracking people who have missed the dose, the centres will guide people in getting the vaccine jab
LUCKNOW Aiming to achieve 100% first dose Covid vaccination by the year- end, Uttar Pradesh has extended vaccination timings up to 10 in the night.
State’s health and family welfare minister, Jai Pratap Singh, said to expedite vaccination coverage chief minister Yogi Adiatyanth has set a target of administering 25 to 30 lakh Covid vaccine doses to people daily.
In Lucknow, the Civil and Lok Bandhu hospitals have already started vaccination facility up to 10pm. The cluster model that assisted Uttar Pradesh to ramp up Covid vaccination, has been reworked to achieve the fresh vaccination target, said the minister.
In rural areas, vaccinators will not be stationed at fixed spots to give the vaccine jab to people. Rather a group of vaccinators will visit each hamlet and even household to administer vaccine to people. Villages with less than 80% vaccination will be in focus, he added.
Out of the 15 crore eligible people, the first dose has been administered to over 10 crore people. The state government has planned to inoculate the remaining people by December. For this, timing of vaccination that was earlier till 5pm, is now revised till 10 pm at all district level hospitals.
Experts welcomed the move, sating extended timings will benefit people who are unable to reach vaccination centres during daytime. “People who find taking elderly in their families for vaccination difficult, can make the best use of the extended timings,” said Dr Abhishek Shukla, secretary general, Association of International Doctors.
In the rural areas, vaccinators will take assistance of people’s representatives including gram pradhans and members of panchayats. In urban areas, the assistance of ward councoillors will be taken to vaccinate beneficiaries, said health minister JP Singh.
The state government has adequate doses to organise the vaccination drive in all 75 districts. The list of people who have not been given the first dose and those who have not taken the second dose will be prepared in each village and locality. The vaccinators will contact the people to give them the first and second doses, respectively, he added.
The integrated Covid command and control centres will be activated for the vaccination drive. Along with tracking the people who have missed the dose, the centres will guide people in getting the vaccine jab, said Singh.
