The Centre on Monday advised all the five poll-bound states to speedily ramp up the Covid vaccination of all eligible populations for the first dose and ensure that those who were due for the second dose are administered the vaccines.
Among the five poll-bound states, while Uttarakhand and Goa have reported a higher vaccination coverage for the first and second doses than the national average, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Manipur have Covid vaccination coverage numbers below it.
A total of 142.38 crore vaccination doses have been administered as of date, of which over 83.80 crore vaccine doses are of the first dose and over 58.58 crore of the second doses.
In a meeting with these poll-bound states on Monday, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan advised them to make district-wise weekly vaccination implementation plans for the purpose, and review the implementation status on a daily basis.
The poll-bound states were also advised to exponentially increase the testing to ensure that the infected cases are identified promptly for timely initiation of public health response measures, and to ensure that there is no sudden upsurge in numbers due to low testing.
The state authorities were strongly advised to ensure that recommended Covid Appropriate Behaviour is strictly followed and adequate measures are undertaken for their effective enforcement.
The schedule for the polls in early 2022 is likely to be announced in the first week of January.
