Mega COVID-19 vaccination drive in Guj on Sep 17; target to cover over 35 lakh people in one day

A mega COVID-19 vaccination drive will be held in Gujarat on Friday to cover more than 35 lakh eligible people in a single day, a senior health official said on Thursday.

Those who are yet to receive their first dose of vaccine and also those who are due for their second dose will be covered under the special drive, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Manoj Aggarwal told reporters in Gandhinagar.

''The aim is to cover more than 35 lakh beneficiaries and ensure 100 percent vaccination in the state's 7,500 villages,'' he said.

Preparations for the mega drive, especially to cover the rural population, have been completed and a review meeting with all district collectors and municipal commissioners was held via video-conferencing to make it a success, he said.

A total of 5.33 crore doses were administered in Gujarat till Wednesday, with 8,34,787 doses administered per 10 lakh population, taking Gujarat to the forefront of the vaccination drive that was launched on January 16 this year, the official said.

''Gujarat leads among the country's large states in terms of COVID-19 vaccination. Hundred percent people above the age of 18 have received their first dose of vaccine across the state's 5,906 villages, 104 primary health centers, 14 urban health centers, and 17 talukas,'' he claimed.

Gujarat has also set up a robust vaccine storage facility, with six zone-level stores, 41 district and corporation-level stores, and 2,236 cold chain points operational to meet the requirement, he said.

The official also said that over 100 'Deendayal Aushadhalaya' (dispensaries) will become operational in the state from Friday on a pilot basis, to provide health care to the state's working-class and poor families.

These facilities have been being set up in the areas where such people reside and will have expert medical teams and adequate medicines for free diagnosis and treatment, he said.