Step up Covid vaccination drive for 12-14 age group: Yogi

LUCKNOW : Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday instructed the officers concerned to give momentum to the ongoing vaccination for children aged 12-14 years, stating that vaccinating all eligible children at the earliest is a priority for his government. He also asked them to ensure that there was ample availability of vaccines, a government statement read.

While reviewing the Covid-19 situation in the state with senior officials on Tuesday, Yogi Adityanath said, “Many children in the age group of 12 to 14 years are yet to take the vaccine. There is a need to ramp up the vaccination drive for them. The state has sufficient vaccines and the situation of stocks should stay that way.” He further directed the authorities concerned to undertake awareness campaigns regarding the importance of booster doses. “Encourage every individual above 18 years of age to take the booster dose and inform people about vaccination centres administering booster shots,” the statement read.

Standing on the top, the state of Uttar Pradesh has administered 32.10 crore vaccine doses. Of these, as many as 17.30 crores are first doses, while 14.50 crore individuals are fully vaccinated. Regarding children, he said, “So far, over 2,36,01,148 children in the age group of 15-17 years and over 77,68,203 children in the age group of 12-14 years have been administered vaccine doses in the state”.

In terms of percentage, over 90.53 % of the adult population is fully vaccinated and 100% have received one shot. In the age category of 15-17 years, over 96 % of the children have received at least one dose of the vaccine. While over 70 % in this age category are fully vaccinated, the statement added.