GUWAHATI, Sept 8 : Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has directed the state health department to intensify the ongoing vaccination drive and reach out to the interior and remote areas, with an aim to bring all eligible population under vaccination coverage by October 30.
Thanking all the functionaries associated with the COVID vaccination process for making the vaccination drives in the state a success, Sarma said 1.91 crore eligible people (18 years and above) have been brought under the vaccination ambit with 1.5 crore people administered the first dose.
“We are now into a critical stage of war against COVID-19…so it is important to ensure blanket vaccination coverage,” he said.
The chief minister also inaugurated a vaccination centre opened by the state health and family welfare department with the help of National Health Mission on the premises of the Interstate Bus Terminus at Betkuchi here on Wednesday.
The vaccination centre has been opened to bring the unvaccinated passengers under total vaccination following the re-opening of inter-district and inter-state public transportation services which were closed in view of the spike in COVID 19 positive cases about four months back.
The vaccination centre at ISBT would be of immense help for passengers coming to Guwahati without receiving any jab for the coronavirus.
Sarma also flagged off mobile vaccination vans to be pressed into service in different districts of the state to target the unvaccinated people, mainly in the remote semi-urban and interior rural areas.
Fifteen mobile vans were flagged off on Wednesday to be pressed into services in six districts including Kokrajhar, Baksa and Bajali districts.
The vans will provide vaccination services at the door step of the targeted eligible population.
