The Kerala Health department has said it will give priority to those people who are eligible for a second dose of COVID-19 vaccination. After there were a lot of complaints over delay in allotting slots for those who need the second dose, the government has decided to start spot registration for them.
The Chief Minister on Thursday informed that the state will give priority to those who are eligible for the second dose of the vaccine. “There is no need to rush to Covid vaccination centres for this. The second dose of Covishield vaccine should be taken within 6 to 8 weeks and Covacin within 4 to 6 weeks. A list of those eligible to receive the second dose of the vaccine at each vaccination centre will be available on the Cowin portal. Accordingly, the managers of the vaccination centres will inform them with the help of Asha workers and local body members. The slot for the first dose will be allowed for online booking only after giving preference to those taking the second dose.”
According to the Kerala government’s COVID-19 dashboard, as of April 28 (Wednesday), 71,44,122 (71 lakh) vaccination doses have been administered in the state. While 59,67,887 (59 lakh) people have received the first dose so far, only 11,76,235 (11 lakh) have been given the second dose.
The health department has also been informed to avoid rush and crowd in the vaccination centers. In the last few days, a huge rush has been reported from vaccination centres in Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam and Palakkad. Therefore, the department has asked people to maintain all COVID-19 protocol at the centers.