Over 20 Lakh COVID Vaccine Doses Administered In A Day; Principal Secretary To PM Chaired A Review Meeting

New Delhi: To review the status and progress of COVID-19 vaccination across states and Union Territories (UTs), Dr PK Misra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister chaired a high-level review meeting by video conference on Tuesday (March 9). According to an official release, the meeting was attended by Chief Secretaries and the officers involved in the vaccination effort in the states/UTs, secretaries to the Government of India from ministries/ department of Health, Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology, Health Research, Member (Health), NITI Aayog and CEO (NHA) were also present during the high-level review meeting.

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Health Secretary apprised the meeting on India achieving the landmark of administering more than 20 lakh doses in a single day. The country is approaching 2.5 crore total vaccination coverage, powered by the fastest recent growth in vaccination globally, the release said.

Dr Misra commended all officials across the Central and state governments, for their critical role in the now successful rollout of the world’s largest vaccination drive, and also reinforced the need to continue this momentum in a sustained manner. Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba who also attended the meeting advised the states to ramp up the speed of vaccination, to cover as many eligible people as possible, in as short a duration as possible; especially given the large population to be covered.

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States were asked to prepare a detailed roadmap for the next three months for achieving the same. Chief Secretaries/ senior officials of the states and UTs briefed about the progress of vaccination in their respective jurisdictions, giving valuable feedback and suggestions, the release added.

During the meeting, various topics like onboarding and operationalising as many health facilities as possible as vaccination centres, across the public and private sectors; ensuring equitable and easy access to all, throughout the nation, across states, Districts, Towns and Villages, especially identifying existing geographical dark-zones through geospatial analysis; and keeping as many vaccination centers operational daily as possible, enhancing Capacity Utilization in these centres, and minimizing Wastage in the same were reviewed in comprehensive detail.

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It was reiterated that there is no shortage of vaccine doses in any State and UT. All States were advised to register and activate all private facilities and also provide sufficient stock of vaccines to the private facilities for 15-28 days so that these facilities can offer online open slots to citizens. Visibility of more open slots not only assures the citizens about the services but also helps avoid overcrowding on account of perceived scarcity in absence of clear visibility of vaccination slots, the release said.

States and UTs were particularly urged to leverage the private sector to the maximum to enhance coverage, taking advantage of the liberal enabling guidelines issued by the Centre; registering and activating as many private facilities as possible, providing sufficient stock of vaccines necessary for these centres to work at their optimum and providing any other facilitation required.

Principal Secretary to PM concluded by asking all the senior officials to work through a scientific, evidence-based, micro-planned, area-specific approach to ensure convenient and safe vaccination for all, in a rapid yet sustained manner.

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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.