State to vaccinate on war footing

SHILLONG, April 21: In a desperate bid to contain the rapid outbreak of corona infection in the state, the Meghalaya government has decided to step up vaccination drive on a war footing.
The target is to vaccinate all the 6.5 lakh eligible beneficiaries within a week or ten days.
Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma said that the situation in the state is serious with cases rising every day but taking appropriate measures now can prevent the situation from spiraling out of control in the days to come.
“We have to take precautionary measures to avoid situations like Delhi and Mumbai by following protocols and getting ourselves vaccinated,” he said. He added that people have slackened and let their guards down which needed to be revived again.
Ruling out lockdown, he said that the effort is to minimize economic restrictions; however a balance between economic conditions and health safety must be maintained. He also informed that the state is among the lowest performers in COVID vaccination and the focus of the government will be on aggressive vaccination in the next 10 days.
He urged the eligible beneficiaries to come forward and vaccinate themselves and appealed different groups and stakeholders like Dorbar Shnong, headmen, religious leaders etc., to involve themselves in creating awareness and sensitisation about the vaccination.
The chief minister later visited several localities in the city where vaccination drives were being conducted and interacted with the beneficiaries to dispel fears and doubts regarding the vaccination.
Earlier, Sangma reviewed the COVID situation in all the districts of the state through video conferencing with the deputy commissioners and health officials.