INDIA: As part of a special 75-day drive to pay tribute to India’s 75th anniversary of independence, the Indian government has initiated a plan to administer free COVID-19 ‘precaution’ vaccination to all individuals aged 18 to 59 years, available at all government immunisation clinics starting today.
According to the reports, the campaign, nicknamed “Covid Vaccination Amrit Mahotsav”, was launched by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya at a Nirman Bhawan inoculation camp on Friday. The government also said in a statement that for all such special vaccination camps, vaccination must be done through the CoWIN app and a vaccination certificate must be presented.
In order to implement this campaign successfully and ensure that every eligible person is covered by this preventive dose, district/block/CVC-wise plans must be laid out, the ministry has also said.
Rajesh Bhushan, the union health secretary, also suggested that states and union territories hold special vaccination clinics on different Yatra routes as well as office buildings, schools, railway stations, and colleges to administer the doses to all young individuals 18 and older.
He also said that they must set up immunisation clinics for Yatra-goers along the routes of Char Dham (Uttarakhand), Amarnath (Jammu and Kashmir) and Kanwar (all states and union territories of North India) as well as other special melas and gatherings.
In India, less than 1% of the 77.10 crore target population in the 18-59 range had received the precautionary dose so far.
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