Centre to launch 'Har Ghar Dastak' mega COVID-19 vaccine drive today

The Narendra Modi-led government will launch its mega COVID-19 'Har Ghar Dastak' campaign today on the occasion of Dhanwantari Diwas.The month-long door-to-door vaccination campaign is aimed towards full vaccination in poor-performing districts.Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had informed the media about the 'Har Ghar Dastak' campaign on Wednesday, saying it was an attempt by the Centre to ramp up vaccination. “We are going to launch a mega vaccination campaign ‘Har Ghar Dastak’. We have decided that for the next one month, healthcare workers will go door-to-door to vaccinate people eligible for the second dose and also those who have not taken the first dose,” Mandaviya had said. According to the minister, 77 percent of the eligible population in India has been vaccinated against COVID-19 with the first dose while 32 percent of people have received both jabs.“More than 10 crores people have not taken the second dose of vaccine,” he added. “People who are eligible for the second dose should take the vaccine.”Highlighting the need to accelerate the pace and coverage of vaccination, he stated that there are more than 10.34 crore people in the country who have not taken the second dose after the prescribed interval. As several countries report a high number of COVID-19 cases, the ramping of vaccination drive in India to reduce severity becomes crucial.With inputs from ANI