GUWAHATI, June 4: The Assam health department has decided to facilitate private hospitals with interest-free loans to procure vaccines directly from manufacturers under the 25 percent quota reserved for the private sector by the central government.
“We will provide interest-free loan for three months to private hospitals to procure the vaccines from the reserved quota. This way, more people would be covered by the vaccination net through the private hospital route,” state health minister Keshab Mahanta said, while addressing reporters here on Friday afternoon.
The health department has also decided to make arrangements to vaccinate 70,000 people per day from the current inoculation rate of 50,000 people per day.
“Besides, we are intensifying the vaccination process in the urban areas of six districts which have reported relatively higher daily COVID cases. They are Kamrup Metro, Nagaon, Sonitpur, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Cachar districts,” Mahanta said.
The health department has decided that no first dose of Covaxin would henceforth be administered in the state in view of the shortage of Covaxin vaccines.
“We have about 20,000 Covaxin vaccines currently at our disposal. However, we will ensure that about 1.5 lakh people get their second Covaxin doses. We are also expected to get 50,000 additional Covaxin vaccines in a week’s time,” the health minister said.
However, the state has around 3.20lakh Covishield vaccines for all eligible age groups
Assam is expected to receive 19 lakh vaccines in June and between 30 lakh to 35 lakh vaccines in July.
Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that the vaccination process in the state would be accelerated in the coming weeks and the entire exercise would be completed by December 31, 2021.
“People who do not have smart phones can go directly to the vaccination centre to get their jabs. We will provide vaccines in the doorstep as well for those unable to go to the vaccination centre from August,” Sarma said.