The Assam government, due to shortages, would not administer Covaxin to any fresh person and would give priority only to 1.5 lakh people who are due for the vaccine's second dose, state Health and Family Welfare Minister Keshab Mahanta said on Friday.
Mahanta also said that the state has 3.2 lakh doses of Covishield and the vaccination would continue as per schedule. Till Friday, 42,72,698 people have given Covid vaccines in Assam, including 8,45,242 people inoculated with both doses.
The minister said that the state government has been trying to procure more vaccines and for this purpose, the government would provide interest-free loans for three months to private hospitals that are interested in buying the vaccines.
He said that currently, an average of 50,000 people are being vaccinated daily in Assam and it would be raised to 70,000 soon.
Mahanta said that the vaccination would be stepped up in six of the 34 districts -- Kamrup Metro, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Cachar, Nagaon and Sonitpur -- where Covid positive cases and fatality rates are comparatively higher than the other districts.
He said that the inoculation system was simplified for tea garden workers, the homeless, mental patients and others who do not have required identity cards.
Referring to a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Health Minister said that in order to reduce the positivity and mortality rates in the state, the government would not allow home quarantine to Covid positive people of any age group with any comorbidity.
The Assam government on Friday also fixed charges for Covid treatment in the private hospitals of the state.
