SHIMLA: The vaccination drive against COVID-19 for the 18-44 age group will begin in Himachal Pradesh from May 17, a health official said on Friday.
The state recently received 1,07,620 doses of Covishield vaccine from the Serum Institute of India, Pune for this category, Special Health Secretary Nipun Jindal said.
Vaccination for the 18-44 age group will be given only on Mondays and Thursdays, and slots will be visible on the COWIN portal two days prior to each scheduled session, he said.
The state has already placed an order for more vaccines for this age group, Jindal added.
All the eligible persons will have to register themselves and schedule their appointment for vaccination on the COWIN portal, he added.
The health official said the available slots will be visible on the COWIN portal from May 15.
HRTC conductors and drivers, fuel pump operators, PDS depot holders, teachers on COVID duty, banks and financial services, chemists, staff of Lok Mitra Kendra, employees in childcare institutions under the WCD department and the workers of pharma industry who are engaged in manufacturing process have now been declared as prioritised group for the anti-coronavirus vaccination, he added.
These persons should get themselves certified from the departments concerned and they can avail vaccination in the priority group, he added.
Meanwhile, a total of 21,08,857 people in the state have already been vaccinated till May 13.
While 16,89,496 persons have been given the first dose, 4,19,361 persons have been administered the second dose.
Of them, 81,822 healthcare workers got the first dose, while 68,608 HCWs were administered the second dose.
Similarly, 53,761 frontline workers got the first dose, while 41,322 FLWs administered the second dose.
In the same way, 8,61,509 persons between 45 and 60 years of age were administered the first dose while 63,939 got the second dose.
Besides, 6,92,404 persons above 60 years were given the first dose, while 2,45,492 got the second dose.
The COVID-19 death toll in Himachal Pradesh rose to 2,118 on Thursday with 63 more fatalities, while 4,937 new cases pushed the tally to 1,50,673, a senior official said.
According to data updated till 7 pm, the number of active cases in the state stands at 40,008.
The total recoveries in the state have risen to 1,08,503 with 3,817 more people recovering, the official said.