Covid inoculation: Special drive for 2nd shots begins Mar 28

The second round of the three-day-long countrywide Covid-19 special inoculation campaign will be started from March 28, read a DGHS circular.

Around 1.2 crore people, aged 12 years and above, who received their first jabs of Covid-19 vaccines on February 26 during the first round of the campaign, will get their second jabs in this campaign.

"It has been asked to arrange additional booths in those centres where people gathered en masse on February 26," read the circular signed by Dr Shamsul Haque, member-secretary of the Covid-19 Vaccine Management Taskforce Committee of the the Directorate General of Health Services .

On February 26, the Directorate General of Health Services vaccinated 1.2 crore people with the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine through a special campaign.

Around 24,500 vaccination centres were set up countrywide during the campaign. Due to the heavy rush of people, the campaign was extended for two days. Hundreds of people were seen thronging the vaccination centres countrywide.

During the three-day-long campaign, around 1.64 crore people were jabbed with first dose of Covid-19 vaccines countrywide, surpassing the 70 percent targeted population, according to the Directorate General of Health Services data.

Earlier on February 16, the Directorate General of Health Services scrapped the requirement to show national identity cards or birth certificates or any document to get Covid-19 vaccines, which resulted in the heavy rush for vaccines during the campaign.

As of Tuesday, around 12.57 crore or around 74 percent of the total population received their first dose while 8.78 crore or around 52 percent of the total population have received second dose Covid-19 vaccines.

The government has a target to inoculate 70 percent of the total population with Covid-19 vaccines.