Chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat inaugurated the Covid vaccination of those in the 18-44 years age group in Dehradun on Monday. He said that the third phase of vaccination has been started under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of which 50 lakh persons in the select age group will be vaccinated.

He said that Uttarakhand is the first state which announced free vaccination for those in the 18-44 years age group for which the state government will spend about Rs 400 crore. Rawat said that the state government is aiming to take the vaccination campaign to every Nyay Panchayat for which vaccination camps should be held at each Nyay Panchayat. He directed the district magistrate that separate booths should be made for senior citizens and the differently abled at every vaccination centre so that they do not face any inconvenience. The chief minister also appealed to the State’s residents to continue wearing masks, using sanitiser and observing other aspects of Covid protocol after receiving their vaccine shot.

People should also avoid going to crowded places, he said. Later in the day, the chief minister went to Haldwani and inaugurated the vaccination campaign for the 18-44 years age group. Speaking on the occasion, he exhorted the youths to get vaccinated and also encourage others to get vaccinated for protection from Covid-19. He said that the state government is standing with the public and assured that all will receive necessary health facilities.

All necessary facilities and equipment will be provided to hospitals to deal with Covid, he said.

Rawat appealed to all to observe all necessary precautions like wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. Considering the Covid curfew enforced in the state, people should venture outdoors only if very important.

The Chief Minister then inspected the facilities at the 150-bed Covid hospital in the mini stadium. Stating that Haldwani is the main entry point to Kumaon which also bears the pressure of Covid patients from the mountainous regions, he said that the Covid hospital with oxygen in the mini stadium will prove helpful in tackling the situation. The CM then inspected the 500-bed pre fabricated Covid hospital being made by the DRDO in the government medical college campus. Rawat was informed that this 500-bed facility will include 100 oxygen beds and 125 ICU beds.

From Haldwani, the CM went to Almora where he visited the base hospital/medical college. During his inspection, Rawat sought information on various aspects including the patients admitted in the Covid ward.