New Delhi: All 260 dispensaries across Delhi will operate as Covid-19 vaccination centres starting next week, ThePrint has learnt.
This comes in the backdrop of a spike in Covid-19 cases, and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s announcement Thursday that vaccination centres will be doubled.
Acknowledging that coronavirus cases in Delhi had been rising in the last few days, the chief minister said the number of vaccination centres would be doubled to 1,000 from about 500 at present, spanning both government and private facilities.
He also urged the Modi government to make the vaccination process open to all those above 18 years, and extended the time for vaccination from 9 am to 9 pm. It is currently open from 9 am to 5 pm.
There are, at present, 550 vaccination sites in 208 hospitals and 40 dispensaries across Delhi, according to the CoWIN portal.
Of them, 325 are in government facilities and 225 in private centres.
“We are prepared to have more vaccination centres, as now private centres are looking after their own resources. So, we have sufficient government vaccinators to be deputed at dispensaries,” a senior district official told ThePrint.
The Union Health Ministry has processed requests from Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana to allow private health facilities, beyond those already empanelled under AB-PMJAY, CGHS and State Health Insurance schemes, as Covid-19 vaccination centres, Lok Sabha was told Friday.
District officials to ensure challaning for mask violation
The latest spike in daily coronavirus cases has prompted the Delhi health department to issue directions to district officials, urging to ensure strict enforcement of Covid-19.
This includes challaning violators for not wearing masks, lack of social distancing among other things. Chestha Yadav, district magistrate, North West Delhi, said: “We did become slightly lax in-between in issuing challans since the number of cases reduced. We have, however, been issued specific guidelines to not show any leniency anymore towards violators.”
Additional district magistrate, West Delhi, Dharmendra Singh, said the number of challans being issued will go up in the coming days. “We are closely monitoring the situation since West Delhi anyway has too many overcrowded areas,” Singh said.
According to Delhi Police data, over 500 challans were issued Wednesday and Thursday for Covid-19 violations.
Delhi Police PRO Chinmay Biswal, in a statement to the media Friday, said a total of 5,62,559 challans have been issued across Delhi for violation of Covid-19 guidelines since 15 June last year.
Meanwhile, Delhi recorded 607 new Covid-19 cases Thursday, with the positivity rate currently sitting at 0.76 per cent.
(Edited by Arun Prashanth)
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