'Har Ghar Dastak 2.0': precautionary dose of Covid vax for 4.7 crore elders

New Delhi: The government on Sunday said it plans to focus on giving precautionary doses of Covid vaccine to more than 4.7 crore people by July 31 under the door-to-door Har Ghar Dastak 2.0 campaign.

Of the 13.75 crore senior citizens in the country, 11.91 crore have been vaccinated with the two doses of Covid 19 vaccine as of June 3.

Of the 6.67 crore beneficiaries due for the booster dose in that age limit, 1.94 crore had taken the shot. In addition, an estimated 1.04 million senior citizens have not yet taken their first dose of vaccination.

In 27 states, the number of people over the age of 60 that have taken the precautionary dose is well below the national average of 42 percent.

These states include Nagaland (13 per cent), Meghalaya (15 per cent), Arunachal Pradesh (16 per cent), Manipur (19 per cent), Jharkhand (27 per cent), Punjab (24 per cent), Maharashtra (31 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (31 per cent) and Assam (29 per cent), according to the New Indian Express.

The second round of the door-to-door campaign which is a two month long event aimed at expediting the coverage of the Covid-19 vaccination began on June 1.

The Union Ministry of Health has asked the states and Union Territories to focus on vaccinating all those who need to be given the second dose, giving priority to senior citizens through this door to door activity.

School-based campaigns need to be organised by the states so that there can be a focused coverage of those in the 12 to 18 years age group.

According to official figures, 80 per cent of the 7.40 crore adolescents aged 15-18 years have been vaccinated with the first dose of Covid vaccine and 62 per cent have been fully vaccinated as of June 3.

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

Overall, 95 percent of the population 12 years of age and older received the first dose of the Covid vaccine and 84 percent fully vaccinated.

The nationwide vaccination drive began on January 16 last year, with health workers being vaccinated in the first phase. Vaccination of front line workers started on February 2 last year.

The second phase of the Covid-19 vaccination was launched on March 1 last year for people over the age of 60 and those with specific illnesses aged 45 and over. On April 1 last year, vaccination for all people over the age of 45 started.

From May 1 last year, the government decided to expand the scope of the vaccination drive by allowing everyone over the age of 18 to be vaccinated against Covid.

Vaccination of 15-18 year olds started on January 3.