New Delhi: A 75-day-long ‘Covid Vaccination Amrit Mahotsava’ will commence on Friday to provide free precaution doses to all eligible adults at government Covid Vaccination Centres (CVCs).
This special Covid vaccination drive is a part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations and is aimed to increase the uptake of the precaution dose.
In a virtual meeting with State and UT Health Secretaries and NHM MDs held on Thursday, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan urged states to give an intensive and ambitious push towards full Covud vaccination coverage by vaccinating all eligible beneficiaries and covering them with precaution doses.
Expressing concern over less percentage of precaution doses uptake among population groups aged 18 years and above which is only 8 percent and persons aged 60 years and above at only 27 percent, he asked states to implement the event as a public drive with massive mass mobilization, through a camp approach.
They were advised to organize special vaccination camps on the routes of Char Dham Yatra, Amarnath Yatra, Kanwar Yatra (all states/UTs of north India) as well as major Melas and congregations.
Union Health Secretary advised to operationalize special workplace vaccination camps at big office complexes (public & private), industrial establishments, railway stations, inter-state bus stations, schools, colleges, etc. In all such special vaccination camps, vaccination to be done mandatorily through CoWIN and vaccination certificate to be provided, he said.
States were advised to ensure that the available Covid vaccine doses are consumed promptly and no dose expires in both government and private facilities. The Centre has also said to assess the requirement for the 75-day special drive as per the eligible population groups and inform the Centre to provide adequate doses.
The special drive will continue for 75 days from July 15 to September 30. Those eligible for the precaution do include all persons above 18 years who have completed 6 months (or 26 weeks) from the date of administration of the second dose.
