Bihar: Govt asks officials to ramp up Covid-19 vaccine drive for children

Patna: The number of daily Covid cases in the state continues to witness a downward trend as 167 people tested positive for the virus against 1,09,140 samples tested in the last 24 hours. The day also saw 301 more people recovering from the virus in the state.

Of the 167 new cases, Patna accounted for 59, followed by Bhagalpur (15) and Aurangabad (10). Ten districts did not report any new case on Wednesday. The number of active cases in the state stood at 1,173, including 489 in Patna.

Over 14.35 crore vaccine doses have so far been administered in the state. Additional chief secretaries of health and education departments have asked the officials concerned to ensure vaccination of children above 12 years of age.

As per government records, 70.3% of children in the age group of 15 to 17 years have taken their first shot and 74.8% of those eligible for the second dose have taken both the vaccines. In the age group of 12 to 14 years, 62.4% of targeted beneficiaries have taken their first dose and 67.4% second dose. The officials have been asked to hold camps in schools, both government as well as private, for the vaccination of the children.