India News | COVID-19: Goa Govt Plans to Increase Number of Vaccination Days to Raise 'precautionary Dose' Coverage

Panaji, May 26 (PTI) With a view to increase the count of people administered with the 'precautionary dose' of anti-coronavirus vaccines, the Goa government has decided to keep the inoculation centres functional three days a week instead of the present one.

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Talking to reporters, state vaccination officer Dr Rajendra Borkar on Thursday said that considering the possibility of the fourth wave of the pandemic and the slow pace of vaccination, it has been decided to increase number of inoculation sessions at the Government Community Vaccination Centres from one day every week on Thursday to three days a week - on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The Directorate of Health Services will also conduct house-to-house vaccination exercise as part of the 'Har Ghar Dastak' campaign on Tuesdays and Saturdays for vaccination of people above 60 years of age, Health care workers (HCWs) and frontline workers (FLWs), he said.

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Currently, health care workers, frontline workers and citizens aged 60 years and more who are fully vaccinated (with two doses) and completed nine months (39 weeks) after the second dose, as per the records available on Co-WIN portal, are eligible to take precaution dose at any of government CVCs.

Borkar said that Tika Utsav will be conducted for the population above 60 years of age across the state as done in the past with overwhelming response from panchayats, selected representatives and NGOs.

"During the Tika Utsav, vaccination sessions will be held at the sites that are close to the beneficiaries - panchayat, school, community hall, etc. Coordination will be done with various stakeholders, including the department of women and child development (WCD), panchayat, police, schools, local religious leaders, NGOs to make the programme a grand success," he said.

Borkar said that citizens aged 18 years and older, but less than 60 years can take their precautionary dose only at any of the private CVCs on a payment basis.

"Tika Utsav will help to accelerate coverage and protect all beneficiaries against the impending fourth wave. The Directorate of Health Services has urged eligible beneficiaries to avail the opportunity and get themselves vaccinated at the earliest," he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)