The Haryana health department has decided to hold a massive COVID-19 vaccination drive on Monday, a senior official said. The department has coordinated with Accredited Social Health Activists and Anganwadi workers besides officials of the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Urban Local Bodies (ULB) and Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) to motivate the beneficiaries above 60 years and those with co-morbidities falling within the age group of 45 years to 60 years.

Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Rajeev Arora said the main objective of the department is to ensure maximum reach of the COVID-19 vaccine as it will help contain the spread of coronavirus infection.

We have one ASHA worker and Anganwadi worker for every 200 households. They will be moving from door-to-door to motivate the beneficiaries to get the doses of the vaccine administered,” he said.

The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment has several schemes running for the senior citizens, and already has a database in this regard, he said.

The vaccine is also being administered at Health Sub Centres located in the villages across the state, Arora said.

Divulging details of the present status of the ongoing vaccination drive, Mission Director, National Health Mission, Haryana, Prabhjot Singh said till March 13, first dose of the vaccine has been administered to 1.68 lakh Health Care Workers (HCWs) and 97,410 HCWs have been administered the second dose. He said 83,338 Frontline Workers (FLWs) have been given the first dose.

In all, a total of 2.51 lakh HCWs and FLWs have been given the first dose. Sharing details of the third phase of the vaccine rollout, Singh said a total of 1,56,299 beneficiaries have been covered under the programme till March 13. Until March 13, Haryana has recorded 3,073 COVID-19 fatalities and the infection count stands at 2,74,697.