Andhra Pradesh is all set to carry out a mega vaccination drive on June 20, targeting about eight to ten lakh people in a single day. People above 45 years of age, mothers with children below the age of five years, and people travelling to foreign countries will be eligible under the drive. Though officially no target has been announced, the top health authorities told all 13 District Collectors that the objective is to vaccinate 8-10 lakh people in a day. "We have already showcased our capacity to vaccinate more than six lakh persons in a day. This time we are aiming to inoculate more people," Principal Secretary (Health) Anil Kumar Singhal said.
Already, 14 lakh doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been dispatched to all districts for the special drive, according to PTI. So far, over 1.25 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine (both Covaxin and Covishield) have been administered in the state. While 98.5 lakh people got the first dose, another 26.5 lakh completed the second dose as well, government data showed. Over two lakh people each have to get the second dose of Covaxin and Covishield this month.
More than 12.7 lakh mothers with children under five years also have to get the COVID-19 vaccine jab. Over 40% of the 1.33 crore persons over 45 years of age have not yet taken even the first dose. At least 15% each of healthcare workers and frontline workers too have remained uncovered so far. The government is now targeting to inoculate the maximum number of people in these groups during the special drive. Earlier in April, Andhra Pradesh set a record by administering 6,28,961 vaccine doses across the state in a single day, as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for ‘Tika Utsav’.
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