The Gujarat health department has set a target of completing the first phase of vaccinations against Covid-19 in the next ten days.
At least 4.33 lakh health workers in the state were supposed to be vaccinated in the first phase, out of which one lakh have been vaccinated so far. The target will now be met by increasing the number of vaccination centres and accelerating the process, especially in the private sector. A plan has been drawn to vaccinate 50,000 people or more every day.
According to a state health department official, new vaccination centres are being set up in phases. All panchayats and corporations have been instructed to increase the number of these centres. Sources said that as the number of vaccinators is increasing at the district and village levels, as compared to the big cities, more vaccination centres are being set up there. Meanwhile, Gujarat has also received a stock of Covaxin and 1.5 lakh doses have been allotted. Earlier, 5.41 lakh doses of Covishield had been allotted. So far, only doses of Covishield have been given, but a decision on using Covaxin will be taken soon. It will most likely be started in the second round. The highest number of people vaccinated in a single day in Gujarat is 31,116 people who received their shots on January 23. Doctors have not shown any particular hesitation in vaccinating and they have also started encouraging health workers to get vaccinated. However, with polio vaccination scheduled to start on January 31, Covid vaccination may be suspended for a few days.
