ON-SITE REGISTRATION
of up to 4 beneficiaries with a mobile number, facilitated registration and appointments through applications, such as Aarogyasetu and Umang and through the Common Service Centres etc, people requiring cohort’s facility and those without access to internet or smart phones or mobile phones may still have limited access for vaccination”.
The move was also meant to reduce vaccine wastage, the government said, suggesting states to open up vaccination centres to walk-in recipients if they have doses left over from appointment no-shows.
The government opened vaccinations for the under-45 adult age group on May 1 but people need to first register online and book a slot before they can be served at vaccination centres.
The demand has been such that several states have run out of the limited supplies of vaccines they received for the 18-44 age group, including Delhi where deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said on Monday that the 400 vaccination centres it had for this group have been shut from this week due to a lack of doses.
In addition to Delhi, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are among states that halted vaccinations for these age groups. Many of these have floated tenders to procure doses directly from foreign developers but have not been able to draw much interest.
The Centre has also directed states to issue clear instructions to all district immunization officers, to strictly adhere to decision regarding the extent and manner of using the on-site registration and appointment feature for this age group.
“State/ut must decide on opening of on-site registrations/ facilitated cohorts’ registration and appointments for 18-44 years age group based on the local context just as an additional measure to minimize vaccine wastage and for facilitating vaccination of eligible beneficiaries in the age group 18-44 years. Also, abundant caution should be exercised and extreme due care should be taken while opening up of on-site registration… in order to avoid overcrowding at vaccination centres,” the statement further read.
In Odisha, state authorities were aiming to complete all evacuations by Tuesday afternoon, senior official Pradeep Jena said.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has directed its rescue teams to ensure that the country’s major medical oxygen generation plants based in Odisha and West Bengal are “running and alive” during Cyclone Yaas, its chief SN Pradhan said. The force has earmarked a total of 149 teams for undertaking evacuation and rescue operations, of which 99 will be deployed on the ground and the remaining 50 will be available at its various bases across the country for quick airlift, if required, he said.
Fishermen were advised not to venture into central Bay of Bengal during May 24 -25 and into north Bay of Bengal and along and off north Andhra Pradesh-odisha-west Bengal–bangladesh coasts from May 24 to 26.
The Indian Coast Guard said all the 265 boats, which were reported to be in the Bay of Bengal by fisheries authorities, have returned to harbour.
The Kolkata Port will suspend all shipping movements from May 25 as a precautionary measure, a senior official said.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) said flight operations at Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Jharsuguda and Durgapur airports are likely to be hit due to cyclone Yaas.
“Millions of people are in the path of Yass as it barrels towards Odisha and West Bengal. These include coastal and river-side communities living in immediately floodable areas and vulnerable houses, as well as marginal families living in slums and shanties that are expected to have severe impacts. It is a matter of serious concern that these regions are still struggling with high numbers of Covid patients, and safe evacuation and sheltering are very complex in this situation. Governments have set a goal of zero casualty,” said Anshu Sharma, co-founder, Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS).