NPF questions Nagaland government’s preparedness for second wave; 1 lakh more doses received

EM Bureau
Dimapur, April 26 (EMN): The Naga People’s Front (NPF) on Monday questioned the state government’s preparedness to tackle the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, saying that the state appeared to have run out of vaccine stock.

In a press statement issued on Monday, the NPF said that it was disappointing to hear about the state facing vaccine shortage when the state government should be prepared with the jabs for its eligible citizens and in the backdrop of the central government’s announcement that citizens above the age of 18 would be eligible for inoculation from May 1.

While asking the incumbent government if any alternative arrangement is in place for those “who have been denied of their dose due to the shortage of vaccine”, the opposition party urged the government to take the health sector seriously and ensure that vaccine is made available to all the eligible citizens. It also asked the government to sensitive about the importance of immunisation drive so that no eligible person is left out.

1 lakh doses can last for 20 days

Meanwhile, State Immunisation Officer, DR. Ritu Thurr informed Eastern Mirror that the state received one lakh more Covid-19 vaccine doses from the Centre on Monday and that it could last for about 20 days.

In the meantime, the principal director of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Kevichusa Medikhru, said that the department had received a consignment of 1 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccine from the Centre, which will be sufficient only for people who will get the second shot.

He informed that they had decided to administer vaccines only to those receiving their second dose for the time being in order to maintain the stock balance. He however said that the department is expected to receive around 3 lakh doses from the Centre very soon and so ‘the immunisation process for the first dose will continue’.