Mandaviya to hold meeting with state, UT health ministers Thursday on Covid vaccination

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will hold a meeting on Thursday with health ministers of all states and union territories on taking forward the campaign of 'Har Ghar Dastak' to ensure vaccination of all adults who have not got their first dose of Covid vaccine or are overdue for their second dose. The meeting would be held virtually in the morning, official sources said on Wednesday.

This is in continuation of the meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 3 with district magistrates and health officials of over 45 districts across 12 states and union territories where the first dose coverage was less than 50 per cent.

Around 79.2 per cent of India's adult population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while more than 37 per cent of the country's around 94 crore adult population has been administered both the doses, according to health ministry officials.

The top five states which have administered the highest number of doses are Uttar Pradesh followed by Maharashtra, West Bengal, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

The health ministry has also written to several states and union territories asking them to prioritise administering the second dose to beneficiaries who have not got themselves inoculated with the second shot even after the expiry of the prescribed interval between the two doses, the sources said.

The government recently launched the month-long 'Har Ghar Dastak' campaign for house-to-house COVID-19 vaccination of those who are yet to take a dose and also those whose second dose is overdue.