The Assam government on Saturday announced a slew of steps, including daily transport allowance of Rs 100 to each vaccination worker, introducing double shifts in urban areas and setting up centres in tea gardens, to meet its target of vaccinating three lakh people a day between June 21 and 30.
Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the measures after a videoconference with deputy commissioners, superintendents of police, health department officials and medical college principals to meet the state’s target under the nationwide enhanced Covid vaccination campaign. The government has fixed district-wise targets with stress on “no wastage of doses”.
The inoculation drive will be carried out in mission mode because not meeting the target could see Assam’s quota of three lakh doses a day go to states meeting their target.
Assam had on Friday vaccinated 1.16 lakh people while the previous highest was 92,000. Till Friday, 41,75,652 people have received their first dose while 10,30,522 have been inoculated with the second dose.
The overall Covid situation in the state remains alarming, leading to the cancellation of Classes X and XII state board examinations. Till Friday, there were 36,631 active cases with a positivity rate of 2.16 per cent.
“The Centre will provide the vaccines for 18-plus people free of cost. If we meet the target, we can ask for more vaccine doses from July, about four lakh a day. This way we will be able to inoculate 1.5 crore people, half of our population, and start easing Covid-related restrictions,” Sarma said.
The chief minister has directed the health department and district administrations to undertake maximum publicity besides appealing to political activists, NGOs and social organisations to get more and more people to the 2,000 vaccination centres set up across the state, including hospitals and in “vulnerable pockets” such as tea gardens.
In urban areas vaccination will continue in two shifts, from 8am to 8pm, while in rural areas the timings are from 8am to 1pm. “But those who turn up in time will be vaccinated just like people are allowed to vote even after the deadline if they turn up at the booths in time,” Sarma said.
At every vaccination centre there will be a designated worker to help with on-the-spot registrations, a key area of concern among people without mobile phones or living in areas with poor Internet connectivity.