Hry to roll out doorstep drive for vaccination

Gurgaon: In line with the Centre’s ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ initiative, the state government will roll out from Tuesday a month-long door-to-door Covid-19 vaccination campaign to inoculate the eligible population with the first dose of the vaccine by November end. The campaign will also cover recipients due for their second doses, officials said.
Doorstep vaccination, Haryana additional chief secretary Rajeev Arora said, is already being carried out in some parts of the state and will now be expanded to all its 22 districts. So far, 1.77 crore beneficiaries have received the first dose in the state, while 81.1 lakh have got the second dose. In Gurgaon, 21.9 lakh people have received the first dose while 13.7 lakh are fully vaccinated.
Gurgaon chief medical officer Dr Virender Yadav told TOI, “Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) will conduct a door-to-door survey to identify people who are due for their second dose as well as the eligible beneficiaries who have not got their first dose in the entire district. Subsequently, auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs) equipped with AEFI (adverse event following immunization) kits will vaccinate such beneficiaries at local centres or community areas.”
Yadav added that door-to-door vaccinations for elderly and critically ill people will be carried out, whereas for other recipients small camps would be set up near their homes.
The CMO said that despite a robust immunization programme many people have been left out of the process so far. “There is a possibility that several women, many of whom do not step out of their homes especially in rural areas, besides the elderly and sick persons have not yet got their first doses yet. The drive will cover all such people. In Gurgaon, the focus will be on the second dose as the city has crossed 123% first dose target,” Dr Yadav said.
The survey, health officials said, will also regularise beneficiaries who have received the second dose using a different identity and consequently their vaccination status is shown as pending on the Co-WIN application.
“We have already asked all private hospitals to provide a list of camps organised by them in (residential) societies and workplaces to administer the first dose of the vaccine. In case such private hospitals have been unable to hold camps for the second dose in these areas, the health department will step in to set up camps,” Dr Yadav added.