Centre flags slow pace of vaccination, asks states to prepare for Har Ghar Dastak 2.0
New Delhi, May 20 : Flagging concerns regarding the “considerably slow pace” of Covid-19 vaccination, the Union Health Ministry on Friday urged the states and UTs to significantly expedite the pace towards full vaccination coverage by saturating all eligible beneficiaries. The message was communicated to all the states and UTs during a meeting to review the status of Covid vaccination which the Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan chaired, according to a statement issued by the Union Ministry. Highlighting the urgent need for an intensive mission mode push to Corona vaccination across the country the Union Secretary advised the states and UTs to plan for a two-month-long Har Ghar Dastak campaign 2.0, during June and July, with the detailed district, block and village levels plans, the statement said. “The sub-optimal coverage of persons aged ≥ 60years with precaution dose which renders them vulnerable, along with the considerably slower speed of coverage in the 12-14 year’s cohort was pointed out. States/UTs were urged to undertake effective monitoring with micro-plans based on duelists of all eligible beneficiaries,” the Union Health Ministry said in the statement. They were also urged to review the administration of precaution dose to 18-59 years age-group with the private hospitals regularly, it added. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the objective of the ‘Har Ghar Dastak 2.0 Abhiyan’ will be to vaccinate and saturate the eligible population groups for first, second and precaution doses through door-to-door campaigns, with focussed campaigns for old age homes, schools/colleges including the out-of-school children (for focussed coverage of children aged 12-18 years population), prisons, brick kilns, etc.(UNI)