Maharashtra: Vaccination on priority in flood-hit areas, says Rajesh Tope

PUNE: Covid vaccination would be carried out on priority in the state’s flood-affected areas, state health minister Rajesh Tope said on Friday, while the health officials clarified that they would reinforce the drive in the form of mobile teams and makeshift camps only after the rescue and rehabilitation work in the affected district was over.
“At least for the next three to four days, Covid vaccination will be put on hold in the affected areas. Currently, the foremost thing is the rescue and rehab of the citizens. Even for the affected citizens, gathering the pieces is going to be the first thing on the mind than Covid vaccination,” state immunization officer Dileep Patil told TOI.

Aayush Prasad, chief executive officer, Pune Zilla Parishad, said the vaccination efforts would remain unaffected across the district as the affected parts in the rural areas have already bounced back to normalcy.
In the affected areas too, the inoculation drive would be reinforced after the rescue and rehabilitation work would be over, Archana Patil, director, health services, clarified.
When probed about the number of vaccination centres that will remain inactive till the rehab work of the affected was over, Patil said, “We are taking stock of the situation. In some districts, normalcy is likely to be restored faster. These districts can resume vaccination drive quickly than those still grappling with rescue and rehab work.”
About 19.19 lakh citizens, including healthcare and frontline workers, were due for the second dose of either Covishield or Covaxin in the state’s 35 districts as of July 8, with a majority of the beneficiaries coming from Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Kolhapur.
Patil said it was important that all beneficiaries received their second dose on time. “We have asked officials to keep special focus on the administration of the second due dose of the vaccine to all eligible beneficiaries,” she said.