In a significant development in the fight against the deadly Coronavirus which has again crippled the health system, the Centre on Wednesday said that it will allow vaccination sessions to be organised at workplaces (public and private offices), in order to ramp up the Covid-19 vaccination drive across the country.
To increase accessibility to the vaccine to people of 45 years and above, the vaccination camps can be held at workplaces that have around 100 eligible and willing beneficiaries.
States and Union Territories have been asked to make adequate preparations for the vaccination drive which will be launched on April 11, 2021.
Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan in a letter to the chief secretaries said a substantial proportion of the population aged 45 years and above is in the organised sector of the economy and is involved in formal occupation in offices (government and private) or manufacturing and services.
“In order to increase the access of vaccine to these populations, COVID-19 vaccination sessions may be organised at workplaces (both public & private) which are having about 100 eligible and willing beneficiaries by tagging these workplaces with an existing COVID vaccination centre,” Bhushan said in the letter.
“Such workplace vaccination centres may be launched across states/Union territories from April 11, 2021,” he said.
Meanwhile, India has surpassed the United States to become the fastest vaccinating country in the world with an average daily rate of 30,93,861 vaccine doses, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday. The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 8.70 crores today with more than 33 lakh vaccination doses were administered in the last 24 hours.
