Kejriwal announces campaign to vaccinate 45+ at local booths

Block-level officers to visit homes across civic wards to allot vaccination slots

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday announced the Delhi government’s “Jahan Vote, Wahan Vaccination” campaign, which will see block-level officers visit citizens’ homes across the 280 civic wards in the city to allot vaccination slots.

In 70 civic wards

Addressing a digital briefing here, Mr. Kejriwal said government teams will encourage citizens above 45 years to get vaccinated at local polling booths in 70 civic wards on a rotational basis till the entire city is covered.

E-rickshaws will be arranged to carry citizens to polling booths. After those above 45 years of age are vaccinated in four weeks, the government will carry out a similar drive for the 18-44 years category.

“Our aim is that within four weeks, every person above the age of 45 years will get vaccinated. I believe there will be no shortage of vaccines given that the Central government is providing the vaccines for 45+,” he said. According to the CM, there were about 57 lakh citizens aged above 45 in Delhi of whom 27 lakh had been administered the first dose.

He said very few people were turning up for the jabs, due to which, the government has decided to go to the people instead.

“The polling centers are within walking distance so people can easily walk to these centers. The scheme is going to start today [Monday] in the 70 civic wards of Delhi,” he said.

There were 272 civic wards in Delhi but there were two Assembly segments, which did not have any ward; assuming four wards each in these segments, Mr. Kejriwal said, there were 280 wards, which needed to be considered.

“Every week this initiative will be carried out in 70 wards. These booth-level officers, for the next two days, will visit every house. Then they will give vaccination slot to people above the age of 45 years who are yet to be vaccinated so that they can come to the polling station at a specific time,” he said.

“We will see whether those who were given the slots have turned up. For those who do not turn up, the booth-level officers will go to their houses again. They will make two rounds and try to convince them to come and get vaccinated,” he also said.

In this manner, Mr. Kejriwal said, the government planned to cover the city within four weeks; after 2 to 3 months, he said, another round would begin at polling centers for the second dose.

“When we receive sufficient amounts of vaccines for those between 18-44 years, then in the next two rounds we will vaccinate the youth of Delhi within two months,” he said.

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