Focus on giving precaution shot of Covid vaccine to 4.7 cr elderly under Har Ghar Dastak 2.0

The government plans to focus on administering precaution dose of Covid vaccine to 4.7 crores 60-plus population, due for it by July 31, under its ongoing door-to-door Har Ghar Dastak 2.0 campaign, officials said on Sunday. Of the estimated 13.75 crore senior citizens in the country, 11.91 crores have been administered both the doses of Covid vaccine till June 3.

The government plans to focus on administering precaution dose of Covid vaccine to 4.7 crores 60-plus population, due for it by July 31, under its ongoing door-to-door Har Ghar Dastak 2.0 campaign, officials said on Sunday.

Of the estimated 13.75 crore senior citizens in the country, 11.91 crores have been administered both the doses of Covid vaccine till June 3. Of the 6.67 crore beneficiaries in the age group due for the booster dose till July 31, 1.94 crores have taken the shot.

Besides, 1.04 crore of the total estimated senior citizens is yet to take the first dose of the Covid vaccine.

In 27 states, the coverage of precaution doses among 60 years and above is below the national average of 42 percent. These states include Nagaland (13 percent), Meghalaya (15 percent), Arunachal Pradesh (16 percent), Manipur (19 percent), Jharkhand (27 percent), Punjab (24 percent), Maharashtra (31 percent), Madhya Pradesh (31 percent) and Assam (29 percent).

The second round of the door-to-door campaign to accelerate the pace and coverage of the COVID-19 vaccination commenced on June 1. It is a two-month-long program.

The Union Health Ministry has asked states and Union Territories to focus on vaccinating all those due for the second dose and those aged 60 and above eligible for precaution shot through the door-to-door activity. States have also been advised to organize school-based campaigns for focused coverage of the population in the 12 to 18 years age group. According to official data, of the estimated 7.40 crore adolescents in the age group of 15-18 years, 80 percent have been administered the first dose of Covid vaccine and 62 percent are fully vaccinated till June 3.

Besides, 73 percent of the estimated 4.71 crore children aged 12 to 14 years have received the first dose and 50 percent the second dose.

Overall, 95 percent of the population aged 12 years and above have been administered the first dose of the Covid vaccine and 84 percent are fully vaccinated. The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 last year with healthcare workers getting inoculated in the first phase. Vaccination of frontline workers started on February 2 last year.

The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced on March 1 last year for people over 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified comorbid conditions. Vaccination for all people aged more than 45 years began on April 1 last year. The government then decided to expand the ambit of the vaccination drive by allowing everyone above 18 years to be inoculated against Covid from May 1 last year.

Inoculation of adolescents in the age group of 15-18 years commenced on January 3.

India began administering precaution doses of vaccines to healthcare and frontline workers and those aged 60 and above with comorbidities from January 10.

The country began inoculating children aged 12-14 on March 16 and also removed the comorbidity clause making all people aged above 60 eligible for the precaution dose of the Covid vaccine.

India on April 10 began administering precaution doses of COVID-19 vaccines to all aged above 18 years.