Expedite COVID jabs in districts with rising cases: Centre to Punjab

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 23

The Health Ministry on Tuesday wrote to principal health secretaries of states with districts reporting rising numbers of new COVID cases and spike in positivity rates and asked them to expedite vaccination of health and frontline workers in the high burden districts to grant them immunity from disease in the shortest possible time.

Additional Secretary, Health Manohar Agnani wrote to health secretaries of Punjab, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, JK and Chhattisgarh about fast tracking the vaccinations in specified districts.

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In a letter to Hussan Lal, principal secretary health, Punjab, the Centre flagged rising cases and high positivity rates in SBS Nagar, Muktsar and Kapurthala.

Districts of concern where the Centre has asked for speedy vaccination to grant quick immunity to health workers include Pune, Nagpur, Mumbai and suburban, Akola, Amravati and Thane in Maharashtra; SBS Nagar, Kapurthala and Muktsar in Punjab; Pulwama in JK; Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh; Bhopal, Beed and Betul in MP.