Assam to set up COVID-19 vaccine camps in schools & colleges amid 2nd wave of virus

GUWAHATI: Assam's health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today said that the department is planning to set up COVID-19 vaccination camps in schools and colleges in order to arrest the spread of the virus that is wreaking havoc across India in its second wave.

"This is is that we can give first priority to the teachers who are above 45 years of age. Newspapers and media houses can also ask us and we will send a nurse -- but this will be applicable to people aged above 45," Sarma said, adding that all workplaces with more than 100 employees will be able to avail of this benefit.

Sarma, cutting a gaunt figure amid a sharp uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases in Assam, said that the state's health department has so far administered 15,67,430 COVID-19 vaccine shots to keep the dreaded virus at bay.

"Out of these, we have administered the first dosage to 12,48,432 people, while 2,82,998 have been given the second jabs,' informed the minister.

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Admitting that the state government was facing the shortage of vaccines 2-3 days ago, Sarma said that this deficit has now been taken care of by the Centre which has sent a new shipment.

"The vaccines are in transit to the districts so that more people can be inoculated. At the present moment, we have 6,07,000 shots. This should suffice for the next months as we have the capacity to inoculate 50,000 people daily at the maximum," he said, adding that the Centre has resolved to send more shots once this current stock gets over.

Assam’s daily COVID-19 cases today surged to 573 taking the state’s cumulative tally to 2,22,940.

On the other hand, the death count climbed to 1,127 with four more fatalities, with Kamrup (Metro), Nagaon, Karimganj, and Lakhimpur recording one death each.

Maharashtra and Delhi saw the highest-ever surge in infections in the last 24 hours. With 63,729 new infections, Maharashtra's caseload is past the 37-lakh mark now. Delhi, which has surpassed Mumbai, has recorded over 8 lakh cases since the start of the pandemic.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan will today hold a meet with health ministers of 11 states on the Covid-19 crisis.

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