NTAGI chief Dr Arora calls for social mobilisation campaign for COVID vaccination
Oct 22, 2021
New Delhi [India], October 22 : With the country achieved the milestone of administering 100 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses, Dr NK Arora, chairman of the COVID-19 Working Group of National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) said a social mobilisation campaign must be run so that people get inoculated soon.
Speaking to ANI, Dr Arora said, "We have to have a focused social mobilisation campaign so that people get vaccines. Those who are yet to receive the second dose have to be reminded repeatedly to take the jabs."
Asked about the vaccination of children, Dr Arora said, "Children are our most valuable assets. The country is already preparing itself (on children vaccines). There are four vaccines, two still under trial and two in stages of regulatory approval...Children vaccination will be started only after our adult vaccination is completed."
In a landmark achievement, India's cumulative COVID-19 vaccination coverage crossed 100 crore doses on Thursday. A total of 100 crore vaccine doses have been administered so far to eligible beneficiaries, according to the union health ministry.
India's COVID-19 vaccination drive was launched on January 16, 2021. Initially, the vaccination was opened for Health Care Workers (HCWs) only.
From February 2, front line workers were made eligible for vaccination. These included State and Central Police personnel, Armed Force Personnel, Home Guards, Civil Defence and Disaster Management Volunteers, Municipal workers, Prison Staff, PRI Staff and Revenue workers involved in containment and surveillance, Railway Protection Force and election Staff.
The vaccination drive was expanded from March 1 to include persons above 60 years of age and those above 45 years with associated specified 20 comorbidities. It was further expanded to all people above 45 years of age from April 1. From May 1, all persons above 18 years of age were made eligible for COVID-19 vaccination.
