Gautam Budh Nagar aims to inoculate over 22k beneficiaries in the 45+ age group

During a door-to-door surveillance conducted from September 7 to 16, the health department identified 56,489 beneficiaries over the age of 45 who had still not taken the first dose

The district health department has increased the number of Covid vaccination centres with the aim of inoculating over 22,500 beneficiaries above the age of 45 years, who have still not taken the first dose, on Friday.

A health worker administers a dose of Covid-19 vaccine at Ghantaghar Ramlila Maidan in Ghaziabad on Wednesday. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

Friday’s vaccination drive will comprise 98 vaccination centres. While 54 of them will have both online slot booking and walk-in facilities, the rest will only have a walk-in facility but registration on the Co-WIN portal will be mandatory. The Bisrakh block will have 39 vaccination centres, Dadri 22, while Jewar and Dankaur will have 17 each.

“The health department has a list of the people--identified in the survey--who are yet to take the first shot. The local Asha workers have been tasked to get them vaccinated,” said Dr Sunil Sharma, chief medical officer, Gautam Budh Nagar.

The last mega vaccination drive was held on Monday, wherein 137 vaccination centres administered jabs to 29,775 beneficiaries. The health department held another drive on Thursday with a target of vaccinating 22,500 beneficiaries at 81 camps. “Against a target of inoculating 22,500 beneficiaries, 16,920 people were vaccinated on Thursday. Of them, 6,648 were given the first dose while 9,642 received the second dose. The drive was aimed at vaccinating beneficiaries in the 45+ age group. Around 70% of the beneficiaries vaccinated on Thursday belonged to this category,” said Dr Neeraj Tyagi, district immunisation officer, Gautam Budh Nagar.

“After the door-to-door survey found that over 50,000 people above the age of 45 have not taken any jab, a meeting was held with district health department officials and a strategy was chalked out to ensure this group gets the first dose within a week. Hence the two vaccination drives on Thursday and Friday,” said Dr Tyagi.