[ad_1]
Panaji: The health services is geared up to begin the next phase of the vaccination drive. Starting Thursday, those over the age of 45 years can get the jab. The new phase expects to target a population of 3 lakh in the shortest duration possible in the state. So far the drive has been slower than anticipated.
“In accordance with the guidelines of the Centre, the vaccination of people above 45 starts from Thursday. The vaccination facility is available at all government hospitals free of cost while people can get the vaccine shot at a private hospital that has been empanelled by us by paying Rs 250,” said a health official.
“We don’t have a deadline to complete the target, but we have to finish vaccinating people in the shortest possible time,” he said.
To reach maximum people, he said after a meeting with senior officials, it has been decided to start vaccination camps in industrial estates. “The vaccination programme will be conducted in industrial estates of Verna and Kundaim this week,” he added.
As of Wednesday, 1,19,203 doses have been administered to healthcare workers, frontline workers, 60-plus and 45 to 59-year-olds having comorbidities.
As many as 18,718 people in all four categories have been administered both doses.
He said all those (45-plus) desirous of getting the jab can walk into any government hospital with an Aadhaar card copy and get the vaccination shot without prior registration. “People have almost stopped doing prior registration for the vaccination,” he said.
With regards to healthcare workers, he said, they have completed vaccination of 80%, while frontline workers are still getting registered. The government’s concern has been senior citizens whose response to the vaccination drive has been unsatisfactory so far.
“If people want to get a vaccination, they have to come on their own. We can’t drag them to a centre,” he said.
He also said they have no plans to conduct camps in villages to cover people that may have refrained from getting jab on the account of having to travel a long distance.
“We haven’t received any such request so far. Setting up a camp for 30 to 40 people in the village will lead to wastage of resource and our manpower unless there are 100 or more beneficiaries,” he said.
[ad_2]
Source link
