People above 18 to get free COVID-19 vaccine in Chhattisgarh

Raipur, Apr 21: The Chhattisgarh government on Wednesday announced free COVID-19 vaccine for all people above the age of 18 in the state.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said the state government will pay for the coronavirus vaccination of people over 18 years of age, according to an official release here. "We will take all possible steps to protect the lives of our citizens," the release quoted Baghel as saying.

On April 19, the Centre had announced that everyone above 18 years of age will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination from May 1, while private hospitals and states will be able to buy doses from manufacturers. The Chief Minister requested the central government to ensure availability of adequate number of vaccines for Chhattisgarh, which has seen a spurt in COVID-19 cases.

Baghel appealed to eligible beneficiaries to get themselves vaccinated against coronavirus to prevent serious complications caused by the infection. He said that Chhattisgarh ranks fourth in the country in giving the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to the age group above 45 years.

"If we talk about vaccination of people aged 60 and above, then Chhattisgarh is fifth in the country after Ladakh, Rajasthan, Sikkim and Tripura," he said.

The CM said 88 per cent of the healthcare workers and 92 per cent the frontline workers have been given the first dose of the vaccine. Baghel said that so far, 51,25,640 vaccine doses have been administered to beneficiaries in Chhattisgarh.