Covid-19 vaccination: Bihar crosses 7-cr mark in doses

The state had achieved the target of administering six crore vaccine doses in the first week of October.

Bihar on Sunday reached another milestone in its Covid-19 vaccination drive when the number of doses administered crossed seven-crore mark in its target population of 7.22 crore, state’s health minister Mangal Pandey said.

At a vaccination centre in Patna. (Santosh Kumar/HT Photo)

The state had achieved the target of administering six crore vaccine doses in the first week of October.

“We crossed the milestone today with people’s cooperation, support from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and guidance of chief minister Nitish Kumar. As far as second dose is concerned, more than 1.97 crore people were fully vaccinated till Sunday evening. We hope to touch the two-crore mark by late evening,” said the minister.

“If we continue to get the same cooperation from our people, we will have administered eight crore doses in the state by December,” the minister said.

On June 11, CM Kumar had set a target of administering six crore jabs to six crore people by December. The state had then administered around 1.16 crore jabs.

Additional chief secretary (health) Pratyaya Amrit said the government has formed a Refusal Response team (RRT), which would be counselling people who have showed reluctance to get vaccinated one plea or the other. “A survey has also being carried out to track pregnant women who have also showed their reluctance to get them vaccinated. The government is keeping a special eye on people coming to state for Chhath festival and the vaccination drive will continue with same intensity till all persons have been administered the second dose,” said Amrit.