‘HarGharDastak campaign 2.0’ initiated to accelerate pace, coverage of COVID-19 vaccination across India

New Delhi: ‘HarGharDastak campaign 2.0’ to accelerate the pace and coverage of COVID-19 vaccination across States and UTs has commenced across the country. Being implemented in a ‘Mission Mode’, States and UTs have been advised to give an intensive push towards full COVID-19 vaccination coverage by vaccinating all eligible beneficiaries. This was communicated to all States and UTs by Rajesh Bhushan, Union Health Secretary as he reviewed the status of COVID-19 vaccination with Health Secretaries and NHM MDs of States and UTs last week.

Incorporating the experience & learning from ‘HarGharDastak campaign’ launched in Nov 2021, ‘HarGharDastak 2.0’ will be implemented from June 1, 2022 to July 31, 2022. The objective of the ‘Har GharDastak2.0’ Abhiyan is to vaccinate and cover the eligible population groups for first, second and precaution doses through door-to-door campaigns.

Major focus will also remain on improving sub-optimal coverage of persons aged ≥ 60 years with precaution dose, along with considerably slower speed of coverage in the 12-14 years cohort by focussed campaigns for old age homes, schools/colleges including the out-of-school children (for focussed coverage of children aged 12-18 years population), prisons, brick kilns, etc. States/UTs have been urged to undertake effective monitoring with respective micro-plans based on due-lists of all eligible beneficiaries. They were also urged to review administration of precaution dose to 18-59 years age-group with the private hospitals on a regular basis.

The national COVID-19 vaccination drive has witnessed unparalleled achievement due to the detailed planning and robust efforts by the Government of India. So far, 193.57 crore doses have been administered across the country. 96.3 per cent of all persons above 15 years of age have received at least one dose and 86.3 per cent have received both the doses of COVID-19 vaccine. The ‘HarGharDastak’ Teekakaran Abhiyaan has been inspired by the successful strategy of Mission Indradhanush which included mobilisation, awareness & vaccination activities for reaching out to all the missed out and dropped out eligible beneficiaries of first & second dose through house-to-house visit from November 3, 2021 onwards. The initiative contributed immensely towards the success of the programme by reaching out to the last mile beneficiaries including the old-aged, differently-abled and even the vaccine hesitant populations.