Booster coverage at just 10%, CM Arvind Kejriwal urges Delhiites to come forward

NEW DELHI: Amid a global resurgence in Covid cases, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday urged all eligible Delhiites to get their booster doses as soon as possible.
Although more than 3.5 crore total vaccine doses have been administered in Delhi so far — the highest for any Indian city — and most Delhiites have received their second dose, the response to the third or the “precautionary dose” has been tepid.

Kejriwal said that 18.5 lakh people had taken the precautionary dose so far. “This means that a lot of people are yet to get the precautionary dose. This number is only 10% of the people who got the first dose,” the CM said. He said all those who were aged 18 years or above and took the second vaccine more than six months ago could get the booster shot.
“Today, I am appealing to all of you to take the precautionary dose at the earliest. This dose needs to be administered after the first and second doses,” Kejriwal said, adding that those who hadn’t taken the second dose should do so immediately.
The CM said that facilities for vaccination had been upgraded for the convenience of people and they could now also walk into the nearest mohalla clinic or government vaccination centre for a precaution dose. “We have a huge capacity of administering 1 lakh doses per day in Delhi, both private and government facilities included,” he said.
“I am specifically appealing to the senior citizens because they are prone to fatality because of comorbidities, be it because of blood pressure, diabetes or other age-related issues,” he said. The CM also appealed to all healthcare workers and frontline workers to get their precaution dose as their work required interaction with the public daily.
“Children aged between 12 and 17 years are eligible for a second dose, but a lot of them are yet to take it. I request them as well as their parents to ensure that they get vaccinated,” he said. “All the schools can request the district sdministration to organisse a camp to administer the second dose to students,” he said.
Kejriwal said that the Covid situation in Delhi was under control with a significant reduction in cases, and barring a few, the condition of all patients was not serious. However, he said that the disease was dangerous and requested Delhiites to follow Covid protocol, including the use of face masks.
A Delhi government official said that of the more than 1.4 crore adults in Delhi, close to 67 lakh were currently eligible for the third dose, and as part of “Har Ghar Dastak 2.0”, ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) and other health workers were going house to house to find out beneficiaries who hadn’t received their third dose yet.