VIJAYAWADA: As Andhra Pradesh government has been assured supply of 90 lakh doses of Coronavirus vaccine in September, health authorities are targeting to vaccinate 1.8 crore people aged between 18–44 years in the state, taking ward/village secretariat as the base unit.
Authorities have been vaccinating the target group since last three days using the existing stock of 17.44 lakh doses. By 6 pm on Saturday, 8.5 lakh doses had been administered. Vaccination will continue for a few more hours on Saturday and the entire remaining stock is likely to be administered within a day or two.
Health personnel have been instructed to administer the jab to targeted people until the last dose is available. Authorities hope that even after getting fresh stocks of Covid vaccine doses in September, they will continue to get further doses till the entire targeted age group people in AP are vaccinated.
Officials said 95 percent of healthcare and frontline workers have been inoculated, while people aged above 45 years and even over 60 years are still to be given the jab. Though some of them have got both their first and second doses, a good number of them have got only the first dose and are awaiting their second dose.
A look at the Covid vaccination programme on Saturday in several parts of the state revealed that a large number of people turned up at Gollapudi secretariat in Krishna district at noon itself. Some people at Kesanapalli secretariat insisted on being given only Covishield vaccine. At Rajanagaram secretariat in East Godavari, jabs continued till late in the evening for benefit of students, who had been busy during the day with their classes.
Health director Dr T. Geetha Prasadini said, “As we are going to get 90 lakh doses of Covid vaccine in September, we are planning to give the jab especially for people aged between 18–44 years. We may not be able to cover them all unless we get fresh stocks subsequently. We have advised health personnel to leave the choice of vaccine type – be it Covishield or Covaxin – to the beneficiary, as both types of vaccines are available. We will continue vaccination on Sunday too throughout the state until the stock lasts,” Dr Prasadini added.
