Union Health Secretary Shri Rajesh Bhushan held a high level meeting with the five poll bound states of Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab to review the public health response measures for containment and management of COVID19, and the vaccination status in these states.

While Uttarakhand and Goa have reported vaccination coverage for the first and second doses higher than the national average, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Manipur have COVID19 vaccination coverage numbers below the national average. Total of 142.38 crore vaccination doses have been administered as on date, of which more than 83.80 crore vaccine doses are for the first dose and more than 58.58 crore are second doses of COVID19 vaccine.

The States were advised to speedily ramp up the COVID19 vaccination of all eligible population for the first dose and ensure that those who were due for the second dose are administered the second dose. District-wise weekly vaccination implementation plans are required to be drawn up for this purpose. The state authorities were advised to review the implementation status on a daily basis.

The poll-bound states were also advised to exponentially increase the testing to ensure that the infected cases are identified promptly for timely initiation of public health response measures, and to ensure that there is no sudden upsurge in numbers due to low testing.

The state authorities were strongly advised to ensure that recommended COVID Appropriate Behavior is strictly followed and adequate measures are undertaken for their effective enforcement.

The Union Government continues to support efforts of States/UTs towards management of COVID – 19 pandemic under the ‘Whole of Government’ approach.