Door-to-door COVID-19 vaccine drive increased 2nd dose coverage by 11.7% till 30 Nov: Centre

New Delhi: The Centre’s ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ campaign for door-to-door COVID-19 vaccination has led to a 5.9 percent rise in the first dose coverage and an 11.7 percent hike in the second dose coverage till 30 November, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said on Thursday. Reviewing the progress made under the campaign with the health secretaries and NHM Mission Directors of states and Union Territories via video conference, he appreciated their performance during the drive. Launched on 3 November, the ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ campaign aims at awareness, mobilisation and vaccination of all eligible beneficiaries through house-to-house visits in all states and Union territories. It was highlighted that although the campaign has increased the pace of vaccination, around 12 crore beneficiaries are still due for their second dose, a Health Ministry statement said. The cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 125 crore. Of this, 79.13 crore (84.3 percent) beneficiaries have been administered the first dose and 45.82 crore (49 percent) got the second dose, according to a provisional report. “States were advised to saturate all eligible beneficiaries with the first dose, devise targeted plans in the context of doses given in August and September to ensure coverage of all beneficiaries due for the second dose by exponentially increasing the pace of vaccination,” the statement said. They were also advised to ensure that the vaccine doses available with the states are consumed timely. Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, where the ZyCoV-D vaccine will be used initially may identify districts with a high number of people yet to take the first dose of the vaccine, the statement said. National training for ZyCoV-D has been completed. Selected states should plan sessions based on pharmajet injector and identify vaccinators to be trained for using the device, it stated. At the review meeting, states shared their experiences of expanding the coverage in remote and hard to reach areas. The Union Health secretary urged them to optimally utilise local influencers and community leaders to enhance the awareness among communities to come forward for the vaccine doses, especially the ones who are overdue for the second dose.