Goa CM appeals to all citizens to get fully vaccinated by Dec 19

Panaji, Dec 7: Appealing people not to panic over the Omicron scare, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said his government plans to get all eligible citizens fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by December 19, the coastal state's liberation day.

Notably, five people, including two Russian nationals, who arrived in Goa on board a merchant navy ship, were isolated after they tested positive for COVID-19 and their samples have been sent for genome sequencing to detect the presence of the Omicron variant, an official earlier said.

“There is no need to panic over Omicron. Don't call them as Omicron suspects. We have sent their samples for genome sequencing,” Sawant told reporters on Monday late evening. He said the state has been aggressive in vaccinating its citizens against the coronavirus infection.

More than 1.20 lakh people (out of the eligible population of 11.5 lakh) are yet to take their second dose of vaccine, he said.

“I appeal to all of them to get vaccinated as fast as possible so that the state can become fully vaccinated by December 19,” the CM said. Goa had administered the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to all eligible beneficiaries by September this year.