E-Paper
‘We don’t discriminate’: Goa health secy on complaints of non-residents booking vaccine slots
The health secretary’s assertion came after the state immunization officer Dr Rajendra Borkar said he was ‘worried’ that since Goa had limited vaccine doses for the 18-44 age group, vaccines that were procured by the state are being availed off by those from ‘outside’.
Goa Health Secretary Ravi Dhawan said that the State would not ‘discriminate’ against people from outside Goa who are booking slots for Covid-19 vaccination via the Cowin app in Goa among the 18-44 age group, HT has learnt.
“The quota that is remaining… that has been procured by the state - as of now, we are given to understand that the 36,580 doses that have come - they are for the entire month of June. My only worry is that many people from other states also have booked this, the portal being online and our slots are going to others. We have reported this to the Government of India and have asked them to take appropriate steps. The ministry has also been informed,” Goa state immunization officer Dr Rajendra Borkar, said.
The health secretary’s assertion came after the state immunization officer Dr Rajendra Borkar said he was ‘worried’ that since Goa had limited vaccine doses for the 18-44 age group, vaccines that were procured by the state are being availed off by those from ‘outside’.
The health secretary, however, countered such ‘fears’ saying that no state, including the neighbouring states of Maharashtra and Karnataka, was discriminating against who is booking slots.
“The government has taken a considered decision not to discriminate against anyone when it comes to administering vaccines in Goa and that is in line with what all states have done. Whether it is the neighbouring state of Maharashtra or Karnataka. We do not discriminate,” health secretary Ravi Dhawan said.
The Goa government has opened limited slots for the 18-44 age group to get them vaccinated owing to limited vaccines being available. However, since the pre-booking for a slot is mandatory via the CoWin App for those in the age group of 18-44 years, several people have been booking slots wherever they are available irrespective of how far the centre is from one’s place of residence.
Till date, Goa has been able to administer 4.56 lakh doses out of which 2.65 lakh people have been administered one dose while 95,687 people have received both doses and are considered fully vaccinated. The fully vaccinated population makes up roughly about 5 per cent of the state’s total population.
