Centre allows Covid-19 vaccination in work places, asks states, UTs to prep up

The move is aimed at increasing accessibility to the vaccine amid demands of removing age restrictions and starting door-to-door vaccination.

"With support of the State Governments/UT administration, the efforts have been to consistently make the vaccination drive more pragmatic and also more acceptable and purposeful to the beneficiaries," said a letter was from the health secretary to the Chief Secretary

"On similar lines, in order to increase the access of vaccine to these populations, COVID-19 vaccination sessions may be organized at Work Places (both public & private) which are having about 100 eligible and willing beneficiaries by tagging these work places with an existing COVID Vaccination Center (CVC)," the letter added.

Delhi and many other states have decided to keep their immunisation centres open 24 hours.

On Wednesday, Health minister Harsh Vardhan dismissed Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope's claim that the state may run out of Covid vaccines in three days.

"States have been shown presentations that their stocks will be replenished repeatedly… the government is doing what it can to ramp up production of vaccines, both Covaxin and Covishield,"he said.

Meanwhile, he also clarified why Covid-19 vaccine is prioritised based on age.  "We are following practices on vaccines suggested by the World Health Organisation, under which the vulnerable sections will be vaccinated first," he stated.