As COVID vaccination gets set to kick off, pulse polio vaccination postponed indefinitely

New Delhi, Jan 13: In view of the upcoming large-scale Covid-19 vaccination drive, the central government has postponed the National Pulse Polio vaccination drive indefinitely.

"Due to unforeseen activities, it is decided to postpone the scheduled Polio NID (national immunisation day) round from 17th January 2021 till further notice", the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has informed.

Every year, the pulse polio vaccination begins on January 17, however this year the first phase of Covid-19 vaccination will begin on January 16 and so the polio drive has been postponed.

The vaccination drive against coronavirus in India will kick off on January 16, 2021.

The Covid-19 vaccination would go on for almost six months as close to 44 lakh people will be administered the dose twice.

The priority will be given to the healthcare workers and the frontline workers, estimated to be around 3 crores, followed by those above 50 years and the under-50 population groups with co-morbidities numbering around 27 crores.

Notably, earlier on January 8, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan announced, a three-day national immunisation drive for polio would begin in the country on January 17.

Despite no cases of wild polio reported since 2009, India has not yet been officially declared as polio-free by the World Health Organisation (WHO).