Health Department, on Wednesday, inoculated 100 people aged between 18 and 44 years against COVID-19, widening the vaccination drive to make all adults eligible for the jabs, even as state grappled to acquire more doses from manufacturers to ramp up immunisation. Due to shortage of COVID-19 vaccines, only 100 doses were administered for 18-44 age group in Bhopal. District Immunisation Officer (Bhopal) Dr Kamlesh Ahirwar told ‘The Hitavada’ that in Bhopal, vaccination for people between 18 and 44 years of age was held at New Girls’ Higher Secondary Government School in Tulsi Nagar. Dr Ahirwar further added that, according to the previous immunisation program, 275 people aged 45+ years were also vaccinated.

 

Only hundred vaccine beneficiaries (18-44 years) were called to this centre at 9 am, however, nearly 300 people of this age group had reached the centre in a hope to get their first dose of the vaccine administered. The inoculation began at around 10 am as Minister for Medical Education Vishwas Sarang could not arrive to the centre due to his other meeting, and this irked the public. However, when finally a list of beneficiaries was stuck on the notice board at the site, many returned with a sad face, as they had been waiting for their turn from weeks. 28-year-old Monika Gupta was the first beneficiary of this age group to receive first shot of the vaccine.

 

Gupta said that she had lost be done at 320 centres in the State each day, adding that, by May 15, the target will be to vaccinate 1.48 lakh people between 18 and 44 years. All persons born before May 1, 2003, are eligible for vaccination and there will be no on-site registration for vaccination for people between 18 and 44 years, he said. It will be mandatory for such people to register themselves through CoWin portal and Aarogya Setu application. Vaccination sessions will be organised at non-COVID treatment centres like government schools, offices as while following COVID-19 protocols. Notably, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had given instructions to start vaccination program of people between the age of 18 and 44 years and for this, orders of purchase of 4.76 crore Covishield and 52.25 lakh doses of Covaxin have been given.