New Delhi: With over 65.2 lakh healthcare and frontline workers having received coronavirus vaccine shot till Tuesday evening, the central government is now eyeing at the next biggest group of citizens – nearly 26 crore people above the age of 50 years – who are set to be inoculated in the second phase of vaccination drive. As India nears the tail-end of the COVID-19 pandemic, 12 states have given vaccine shots to over 65 per cent frontline population, while about 1.3 lakh workers across the country are yet to be administered.
The COVID-19 inoculation process for people aged above 50 is scheduled to start in March.
“Now, we are in a phase where we feel reassured, we feel safe and we can confidently say that we can face the rest of the problem, the tail-end of the problem effectively in times to come,” said NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr VK Paul, urging the remaining frontline workers to not miss the vaccination cycle.
Addressing a press conference, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said all healthcare workers must get at least one dose of the vaccine by February 20 and mop-up rounds by February 24, while other frontline workers should get the first dose by March 1 and the mop-up rounds by March 6.
Paul said that the comprehensive goal is to achieve the public health objective of vaccinating 30 crore people. That is where the vaccine stockpile will be channelled on priority. He also said it might be a few months before vaccines become available through emergency use authorisation.
“Protecting large populations from mortality, should they get Covid-19, is the priority,” he added.
With Agency inputs