PANAGARH: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday said the government is thinking whether children will be required to be vaccinated in view of the COVID third wave and assured that everyone in the state will be given their jabs.
If required the government will carry out inoculation programmes for children similar to the pulse polio drive, she said.
Banerjee said 12 lakh people in Bengal got their COVID jabs on Tuesday and in the urban areas 75 per cent of the population have been inoculated.
"Everyone will be vaccinated. Do not rush to the vaccination centres after hearing rumours and unnecessarily create panic. Do not be worried.
"Not a single dose (of vaccine) is wasted in Bengal. Our requirement is 14 crore. We have the responsibility to administer the vaccines, but the Centre is supplying them," she said while laying the foundation stone of Dhunseri Poly Films plant here.
"Keeping the third wave in mind, we are now thinking whether children will be required to be vaccinated or not. If required, the government will initiate inoculation programme similar to the pulse polio drive," she added.
On Tuesday 12,10,095 people got the vaccine in different districts of Bengal taking the total number of people getting the dose to over four crore.
About 25 persons, mostly women, were injured in jostling outside a vaccination centre in Dhupguri in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district on Tuesday.
On Tuesday 12,10,095 people got the vaccine in different districts of Bengal taking the total number of people getting the dose to over 4 crore.
About 25 persons, mostly women, were injured in jostling outside a vaccination centre in Dhupguri in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district on Tuesday.
The state on Wednesday reported 12 more COVID-19 deaths, which took the toll to 18,459, a health department bulletin said.
The coronavirus caseload in the state mounted to 15,49,283 as 679 more people tested positive for the infection, it said.
Of the fresh fatalities, three each were reported from Nadia and North 24 Parganas and one each from Kolkata, Howrah, South 24 Parganas, Paschim Bardhaman, Bankura and Darjeeling districts, the bulletin said.
At least 681 people were cured of the disease in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries to 15,22,023.
The recovery rate among coronavirus patients in the state currently stands at 98.24 per cent.
West Bengal now has 8,801 active cases, the bulletin said.
The state has so far conducted over 1.70 crore sample tests for COVID-19, including 38,103 since Tuesday, it added.
At least, 4,39,387 people were inoculated during the day, a state health department official said.