The Union government will be giving an extra two crore doses of Covid vaccines by the finish of August to vaccinate college teachers.
Mansukh Mandavia, Union well being minister, mentioned on Wednesday that two crore extra vaccines would be dispatched to the states to vaccinate college teachers and non-teaching employees in government and private schools on a priority basis. The minister has set a target of vaccinating all college teachers by Teachers’ Day on September 5. The extra doses will be dispatched to states from 27 August.
The nation crossed the 60 crore mark in cumulative immunisation with 60.15 crore vaccines administered as on Wednesday. Till late evening 69.17 lakh vaccine doses had been administered on Wednesday The day-to-day typical vaccinations in August has been about 50-55 lakh jabs per day. The states and union territories (UTs) have a stock of 3.62 crore vaccine doses with them that are but to be utilised. The typical month-to-month vaccination in June was 38.89 lakh doses and went up to 43.41 lakh in July.
Union well being secretary, Rajesh Bhushan chaired a meeting on Wednesday with all States and UTs along with Union pharma secretary, S Aparna, and advised states to focus on enhancing second dose coverage as properly as immunization of college teachers and employees. States and UTs have been asked to use the Unified District Information System of Education information and co-ordinate with state education departments, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and Navodaya Vidyalaya Sangathan for this vaccination programme.
Citing the case of Kerala exactly where the quantity of circumstances have elevated post Onam celebration, Bhushan cautioned states more than a feasible surge in Covid circumstances throughout the upcoming festival season.
The policy of preserving buffer stock of Covid-19 medicines was reviewed throughout the meeting and states have been permitted to procure and retain buffer stock of medicines other than the eight important Covid drugs compulsorily mandated by union well being ministry.