Focus on 2nd dose coverage: Centre to states, UTs during vaccination review meet
The Centre also advised states and UTs to work on boosting vaccination drive in districts with low vaccine coverage while exploring ways to improve access in rural areas.
The Centre has urged states and Union territories to focus on the coverage of the second dose of the vaccine against coronavirus disease (Covid-10) during a review meeting held on Monday. The appeal by the Centre came as the country reached close to administering a billion Covid-19 vaccine doses.
Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan held a video interaction with health secretaries and mission directors of national health missions in states and UTs to review the progress of vaccination on Monday.
According to a PTI report, Bhushan congratulated the states and UTs for their effort to vaccinate all citizens. During the interaction, he also highlighted that a sizeable number of beneficiaries are yet to receive their second dose of the Covid vaccine, insisting the states and UTs to focus on the second vaccination dose coverage, PTI quoted a statement from the government as saying.
The Centre also advised states and UTs to work on boosting vaccination drive in districts with low vaccine coverage while exploring ways to improve access in rural areas.
The states and Union Territories were advised to identify and prioritise districts having low coverage for focused action and explore requirements for mobilisation efforts, addressing local challenges, need for additional Covid Vaccination Centres and improving access in rural areas, the government statement said.
To boost the vaccine drive, the Union government also pointed out that it is in a position to provide additional vaccine doses to the states and UTs if they need so that they can complete the task, the statement was further quoted as saying.
Apart from that, the Centre also invited suggestions and feedback from the states and UTs in formulating new guidelines for international travel. The government has been issuing standard operating procedures over the last year for international travel.
The Centre is now again in the process to review the guidelines in consultation with all stakeholders, including the Union ministry of home affairs and the ministry of civil aviation, as the second wave of the pandemic shows signs of subsiding.
