After testing, UP now plans ‘focused’ vaccination drive

Aiming to give a boost to drive, Uttar Pradesh will soon start focused vaccination for people in different professions aged above 45 years

Aiming to give a boost to drive, Uttar Pradesh will soon start focused vaccination for people in different professions aged above 45 years.

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“Like for Covid testing where we took samples from people of different professions such as shopkeepers, government staff, street-vendors, we will now run similar exercise for vaccination,” said Amit Mohan Prasad, additional chief secretary, medical health.

“We will conduct similar exercise for vaccination and invite eligible shopkeepers, drivers, media personnel, advocates to get the vaccine dose,” he said.

Under the focused vaccination drive, different associations such as that of traders, drivers, shopkeepers and even lawyers’ body will be contacted, and list of eligible beneficiaries will be prepared. They will be motivated for prior registration or avail walk in facility at the vaccination centres near their homes or workplace, said Prasad.

“The focused sampling will be done among people who come in contact with many people for their work such as frontline workers,” said Prasad.

Such beneficiaries will be given a specific time slot to reach vaccination centres and this time shall be coordinated by the health department for smooth vaccination process. “This exercise will begin from next week,” said Prasad.

Selection of spots for motivating eligible beneficiaries under focused covid vaccination will be done by weekend. “Once the group is selected a health team will contact them,” said an official.