Haryana to hold massive COVID-19 vaccination drive today

"The main objective of the Department is to ensure maximum reach of the Covi-19 vaccine," said Rajeev Arora, Additional Chief Secretary of Health.

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Chandigarh: To ensure the substantial reach of the COVID-19 vaccine, the health department of Haryana has decided to hold a massive vaccination drive on Monday (March 15).

As per the state government`s statement, the health department has coordinated with the ASHA workers and Aanganwadi workers, other than officers of the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Urban Local Bodies (ULB) and Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) for the drive so as to motivate the beneficiaries above 60 years and those with co-morbidities falling within the age group of 45 years to 60 years.

"The main objective of the Department is to ensure maximum reach of the Covi-19 vaccine as it will contain the further spread of the highly contagious COVID-19 virus," said Rajeev Arora, Additional Chief Secretary of Health, Haryana. Elaborating Arora said that Haryana has one ASHA worker and Aanganwadi worker for every 200 households.

"Thus, these ASHA workers and Aanganwadi workers will be moving from door-to-door to motivate the beneficiaries to get the doses of the vaccine administered. Besides this, the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment has several schemes running for the senior citizens and already has a database in this regard. Likewise, the officers of ULB and PRIs have also been asked to mobilize the beneficiaries," he said.

He further added that the department has taken extensive steps to ensure that the Covid-19 Vaccine reaches the people who reside in villages across the state in order to contain the spread of the virus. "Also, the vaccination is even being administered at health sub-centres which are located in the villages across the state so that the vaccine is administered to each and every eligible beneficiary," he added.

On the success of the vaccine rollout, the Haryana government said at present, 5.20 lakh doses (both first and second dose) have been administered to the beneficiaries across the state.

Divulging details of the present status of the ongoing vaccination drive, Mission Director, National Health Mission, Haryana, Prabhjot Singh said that till March 13, the health department has administered the first dose of the vaccine to 1.68 lakh Health Care Workers (HCWs) and 97,410 HCWs have been administered the second dose.

He further said that 83,338 Frontline Workers (FLWs) have been given the first dose." In all, a total of 2.51 lakh HCWs and FLWs have been vaccinated the first dose. From March 1, 2021 vaccination of population above 60 years of age and citizens above 45 years with co-morbidities were started and till March 13, 2021, 1,56,299 beneficiaries have been covered," Singh added.