2 pvt hospitals in Chandigarh authorised to give jab

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 24

As the nation gears up for the third phase of the Covid vaccination drive to inoculate persons aged 60 and above, the UT Administration is mulling over expanding the vaccination session sites to community centres and health and wellness centres.

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The Centre today announced that the vaccination drive for the next target group would begin on March 1. To augment the vaccination facilities, the Centre has assigned two private hospitals – Healing Hospital and Landmark Hospital – to proceed with the vaccination programme.

Dr Amandeep Kaur Kang, Director, Health Services, UT, said, “Our aim is to expand the vaccination sites and make at least six community centres functional. Till now, our focus was on the GMSH, Sector 16, and the GMCH, Sector 32. Now, as the vaccination programme reaches the community level, our focus will be on peripheral areas and we will augment the vaccination facilities in these areas.”

The Centre had announced that everyone aged 60 and above and those over 45 years with comorbidities would be able to get the Covid vaccine from March 1 for free at government facilities and for a charge at private hospitals.

However, Dr Kang said they had been told to vaccinate only those aged 60 and above for now. No information on the paid vaccination facility had been provided to the UT Administration so far, she said.

Meanwhile, the mop-up rounds for the vaccination of healthcare workers will end tomorrow. So far, 9,865 healthcare workers have been given the first dose of the targeted 23,237, registering an achievement rate of 42 per cent.

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