‘Jahan vote, vahan vaccine’: Delhi launches drive to vaccinate those above 45 in 4 weeks

The Delhi government has started a campaign to vaccinate all above the age of 45 within 4 weeks, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Monday.

“We are starting a ‘jahan vote, vahan vaccine’ campaign, whereby everyone in this age group will get at least one dose of the vaccine. We aim to do this within 4 weeks. There are 57 lakh people above the age of 45 in Delhi. Of these, 27 lakh have got at least one dose. We have seen that the centres for this age group are empty and not many people are turning up to get vaccinated. We will now go to people’s houses and reach out to them. People will be able to get vaccinated in the same place where they go to cast their vote during an election. Polling centres are usually close to their houses and they can just walk there,” he added.

There are 280 wards in the city, and each week, the campaign will be carried out in 70 wards, covering 280 wards in 4 weeks. Booth-level officers will be responsible for the campaign. Armed with voters’ lists, they, along with a team of Civil Defence Volunteers, will visit each house under a given booth. Training for the exercise has commenced.

“The booth-level officers and their teams will fan out, visit each house, and ask occupants about people above the age of 45. Even if some names are not on the voters’ list, slots will be given to them for the next day if they have not been vaccinated. If someone refuses to get vaccinated, the teams will try and convince them and tell them that vaccines are the only way to fight Covid,” Kejriwal said.

According to Delhi’s vaccination bulletin, the city has enough Covidhield doses for the 45+ category for 27 days.

Once slots are given to those eligible, the teams will check if people have turned up or not.

“If they have not turned up, the teams will visit their houses again and try and convince them. After this exercise, we think that everyone above the age of 45, who wants to get vaccinated, will have got at least one shot. Once the people are eligible for a second shot as per the Centre’s guidelines, a similar exercise will be carried out to make sure people are fully vaccinated,” Kejriwal said.

The administration is also making arrangements for e-rickshaws to help people reach the polling centres from their homes.

The CM added that a similar exercise will be done for those in the 18-44 category once there are enough vaccines available. “We will then vaccinate everyone in this category within 2 months,” he said.