3.40 lakh people take the jabs in UP

: The UP government claimed that the statewide mega vaccination campaign launched on Tuesday received an enthusiastic response from people with 3.40 lakh beneficiaries taking the jabs.

In some of the districts, Covid protocols and social distancing were ignored as large crowds converged at vaccination centres. Security personnel faced a tough time in managing the crowd as people broke the queues to enter the centres. People also lined up at the vaccination centres hours before the start of the vaccination session.

Additional chief secretary, health and family welfare, Amit Mohan Prasad said there was good response from people in 18-45 age group. The state government set up 5,500 vaccination centres across UP to facilitate beneficiaries to take the jabs.

The parent-special vaccination centres were a unique initiative of the state government to pave way for the vaccination of beneficiaries whose children are below 12 years. The state health and family welfare department set up two to three such centres in each district, he said.

Prasad said UP is likely to get adequate doses of the vaccine from the central government quota while the state government had also procured enough doses of vaccine from two manufacturing companies - Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech to inoculate over one crore people in June.

The quantity of the vaccine that UP will receive in June will be much higher than what the state got in May, he added.

People who missed the vaccination this week should get themselves registered on the CoWin portal when the booking for slots opens on Sunday.

He said some anti-social elements were trying to create doubts about the vaccine and people should ignore them to get both doses for protection from Covid-19, said Prasad.

UP IS LIKELY TO GET ADEQUATE DOSES OF THE VACCINE FROM THE CENTRAL GOVT QUOTA. STATE GOVT HAS ALSO PROCURED ENOUGH DOSES FROM 2 COMPANIES