Jab centres in Delhi reopen as vaccine supply stabilises - Hindustan Times
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Jab centres in Delhi reopen as vaccine supply stabilises

By, New Delhi:
Jun 10, 2021 12:08 AM IST

With vaccine supplies slowly stabilising, the Delhi government has reopened 95 vaccine centres for the 18-45 age group and 68 sites for the 45+ group on Wednesday, showed government records

With vaccine supplies slowly stabilising, the Delhi government has reopened 95 vaccine centres for the 18-45 age group and 68 sites for the 45+ group on Wednesday, showed government records.

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All 368 vaccine sites set up by the Delhi government for the 18-45 group last month were suspended for more than two weeks in the light of shortage of both Covishield and Covaxin. For the 45+ group, around 306 centres out of 720 were suspended over the last one week for shortage of Covaxin.

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Government officials said the stock situation is getting better now. As on Wednesday, the Delhi government had 95 vaccine centres spread across 35 locations for the 18-45 age group and 482 vaccine centres spread across 338 locations for the 45+ group.

“The government has also opened on-the-spot registration for all beneficiaries in the state-run centres for the 45+ group and plans to start the same for beneficiaries in the 18-45 group, but for only for those scheduled for the second dose,” said a senior official. This initiative is in line with the directions issued by the central government on Tuesday.

“Yesterday (Tuesday) late-evening, Delhi government received 30,000 doses of Covaxin for the 45+ group. Number of vaccine centres is likely to go up from Thursday. Covaxin centres will be open only for people scheduled for the second dose. There is no availability issue with Covishield. We have 27 days’ stock for the 45+ group,” said AAP legislator Atishi while reading out the Delhi government’s health bulletin in a video briefing on Wednesday.

She further said, “For the 18-45 group, we have received 125,000 doses of Covishield and 20,000 doses of Covaxin. Centres offering Covaxin are only catering to people scheduled for the second dose. We are happy to announce that vaccination for the 18-45 group in government centres have resumed again. I urge people to book their slots and get vaccinated. We have sufficient stock for eight days and we hope to get more deliveries before the government-run centres run out of stock.”

So far, around 4.44 million in Delhi have got one dose and 1.34 million have got both doses, showed government records. The city has a population of around 20 million of which 15 million are eligible for vaccination.

Chief minister takes stock of jab booths

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday visited a temporary vaccine site set up by the government under its “Jahan vote, Wahan vaccine” initiative, which is aimed at increasing vaccine coverage among the 45+ population through door-to-door awareness drives and convincing them to take the shots at vaccine sites set up at their nearest polling centres.

Under the initiative that has been planned across four weeks, the government shall choose 70 municipal wards in the city every week. All AAP MLAs and leaders are participating in the drive which is primarily being conducted by booth level officers.

“We have received an overwhelming response to this campaign of the Delhi government. We have also arranged for e-rickshaws to travel from home to vaccination sites. Just like BLOs give slips door to door before voting, in the same way, they are giving slips of scheduled slots to people for vaccination. Those who do not come to the centre to get the jab even after getting the slot, the BLO will go again to their house and clear doubts,” said Kejriwal.

He further said, “Various kinds of rumours are rapidly spreading, thereby increasing vaccine hesitancy. It is the responsibility of all of us to dispel them. Within the next four weeks, the entire population of 45+ will be vaccinated with the first dose all over Delhi. Our electoral structure is competent enough. If we use it all over the country, we can vaccinate everyone in two to three months.”

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