UP TO LAUNCH VACCINATION FOR 18+ IN ALL DISTS

The state govt is getting supply of the vaccine from the central government for the people above 45 years

LUCKNOW: Even as several states have stopped vaccination for people in 18-45 age group due to shortage of vaccine, Uttar Pradesh has decided to launch the vaccination for 18+ in all the districts from June 1. To ensure smooth operation, it will maintain strong supply chain of vaccine from the manufacturing companies and ensure that jabs are stocked up at the warehouses set up across the state, said an official.

LUCKNOW: Even as several states have stopped vaccination for people in 18-45 age group due to shortage of vaccine, Uttar Pradesh has decided to launch the vaccination for 18+ in all the districts from June 1.

To ensure smooth operation, it will maintain strong supply chain of vaccine from the manufacturing companies and ensure that jabs are stocked up at the warehouses set up across the state, said an official.

Finance and parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Khanna, who is the chairman of the state vaccine procurement committee, said the vaccination strategy adopted by the UP government had paid dividends. The state government not only decided to increase the vaccination coverage but also worked on a determined policy to get vaccine from the manufacturers.

The Uttar Pradesh government not only placed orders earlier for the supply of one crore Covid vaccine doses — 50 lakh vaccine doses from the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Limited that manufactures Covaxin and 50 lakh doses from the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) that manufactures Covishield but also made advance payment to streamline the vaccine supply, he said. The state government is getting supply of the vaccine from the central government for the people above 45 years.

It has 20 lakh vaccine doses in the stock for both age group beneficiaries. The state is likely to get the stock from the manufacturers as well as from the central government quota as the vaccination drive for 18-45 age group expands in remaining districts. The vaccination drive has been already set rolling in the rural

areas, Khanna said.

In view of the possible third wave of Covid pandemic, the state government has decided to vaccinate parents of children below 12 years of age. The government employees, who were not in frontline workers category and teachers, will be also covered in the vaccination programme, he said.

The state government will ramp up its vaccine stock with procurement of the vaccine from the foreign and Indian companies. May 31 is the last date for the submission of the bid for the vaccine supply, he said.

Till Sunday, 1.62 crore vaccine doses have been given to the beneficiaries above 45 years and 10.66 lakh to the people in 18-45 years age group, he said.

State government spokesperson and minister Sidharth Nath Singh said the state government was working to bring down the

wastage of the vaccine to zero as well as to optimize the utilization by giving jab to 11 beneficiaries from a vial instead of 10. Regular training is being imparted to the vaccinators, people are being mobilized to visit the vaccination centers to get the vaccine jab, he said.

“Uttar Pradesh has drafted a vaccine management policy which is assisting in ramping up the stock regularly whereas other states are facing shortage,” additional chief secretary, health and family welfare, Amit Mohan Prasad said.

17,537 take the jabs in Lko

A total of 17,537 beneficiaries took the Covid vaccine jabs in Lucknow on Monday, the maximum in a day till now. Of these, 12,931 beneficiaries were between 18 and 45 years of age, and this figure was also maximum in one day so far.