Chandigarh, May 7

As the state is expecting one lakh doses from the Serum Institute of India (SII) over the weekend, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has asked officials concerned to prepare for vaccinating priority groups in the 18-45 years category at government hospitals from Monday.

Vax camp held at Abohar shrine

Congress workers have helped start vaccination drive for people who had been displaced by the ASI from the ancient area of Mud Fort few years ago and constructed small houses around historic Panjpeer Dargah in Abohar. The drive has been suspended there for the past three days. OC

The state has identified construction workers, teachers, government employees and those with co-morbidities as high-risk individuals for priority vaccination.

Drive at Moga courts

Under the supervision of District and Sessions’ Judge Mandeep Kaur Pannu, the District Legal Services Authority carried out a vaccination drive for judges and staff members in Moga on Friday. On the first day, 150 persons, including judges, lawyers and staff, were inoculated. TNS

The CM directed all government employees, except those with medical problems, to get vaccinated. The state had ordered 30 lakh vaccine doses from SII for the Phase III vaccination, and the Centre has now allocated 3.30 lakh against this order to Punjab for this month.

The vaccination of priority groups identified by the state government for Phase III should start as soon as the doses arrive, said the CM.

He directed the Chief Secretary to explore utilisation of some of the World Bank loan for purchase of 10,000 oxygen concentrators, along with tankers and oxygen plants as well as vaccines. Besides, the Tata Group, which was sending 500 concentrators, an additional 200 machines were being sent by Tata Memorial Hospital. — TNS