Covid jabs to be given at Duare Sarkar Camps

Kolkata: In a major development, the State Health department has decided to administer Covid vaccinnes from Duare Sarkar camps across Bengal from January next year. Apart from Covid vaccinnation, various tests like diabetes, hypertension, oral cancer screening and eye tests will also be available at Duare Sarkar camps.

Health department has already issued necessary instructions to all the District Magistrates and Chief Medical Officer of Health who will prepare a blueprint of the programme.

State health department has already prepared a data base of eligible children in the age group 15-18 years whose vaccinnation will be rolled out on January 3 as announced by the Centre. A list has also been prepared of the senior citizens with comorbidities who are eligible to get the booster Covid dose. The front line health workers are also eligible to get the third dose. According to the health department, nearly 50 lakh children in the age group 15-18 are eligible in the state to get a jab.

Around 1.1 crore senior citizens, 5 lakh front line workers and around 7 lakh health workers will also get the third dose from January 10. Recipients will be given the same vaccinne what they had received earlier. The children will be given Covaxin doses.

Meanwhile, the Centre has already told the states that booster doses can be taken three months after the second dose. The certificate of the booster dose will be available on the smart phones of the beneficiaries. Like the previous two doses, the people will be able to download the certificate of the third dose on the mobile phones. The Centre has not however clarified if cocktail doses can be administered on the beneficiaries, said a senior health official in the state.

State on Tuesday administered around 4,76,434 Covid vaccinne doses across Bengal taking the total doses administered in the state so far to 10,33,32,585. Around 6,45,46,988 first doses have been administered so far in the state wile 3,87,85,597 second doses have been given by the state.

Around 4,938 Covid vaccinnation centres have been operational on Tuesday and around 6,148 AEFI cases have been reported in the state so far till Tuesday.