Uttarakhand to starting vaccination people aged 18-44 from tomorrow

Around 50 lakh people of this age group are to be inoculated for free in Uttarakhand during the drive.

Originally scheduled to start on May 1, the drive could not begin on time due to the non-availability of vaccines.

The announcement came after Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat instructed officials to accelerate Covid-19 vaccination in the state in the wake of rising coronavirus cases.

The state on Saturday received the first consignment of one lakh doses of Covishield vaccine for people in the 18-44 age group.

The CM reviewed the vaccination status through video conferencing in the Secretariat.

“We have to pay most attention to prevent Covid deaths,” he said while suggesting decentralized decision making and providing medical kits.

The CM said that special attention should be given to containment zones to curb the spread of coronavirus.

He also suggested that the help of retired army personnel should be taken in the war against Covid-19.

Rawat further said that strict action should be taken against any black marketing of medicines or equipment needed for the treatment of Covid-19 patients.

He also spoke about under construction oxygen plants and said they should be completed early. “Oxygen plants should have an uninterrupted power supply,” he said.

Rawat urged people who have recovered for Covid-19 to donate plasma to save lives. He said that blood plasma is helpful in the treatment of other infected patients.

Uttarakhand reported 8,390 new Covid-19 cases and 118 deaths in the last 24 hours, said the state control room on Saturday. With this, the tally reached 2,38,383.

As many as 4,771 patients recovered from the disease in the said period. The active number of Covid-19 cases in Uttarakhand stands at 71,174.