After getting his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) in Patna on his birthday, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday declared that everyone in the State would get free vaccines at government hospitals and identified private hospitals across the State.
“Today I got the first dose of COVID-19 vaccination and after 28 days will take another dose on March 31. As we had decided earlier, everyone in the State will get the vaccination free of cost in government and identified private hospitals,” Mr. Kumar told media persons after his immunisation.
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Apart from the two Deputy CMs of the State — Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi — Cabinet ministers Bijendra Prasad Yadav and Vijay Kumar Choudhury too got the vaccination.
Mr. Kumar also urged people to inoculate themselves against COVID-19. Asked how he was feeling after receiving the first dose of vaccine, Mr Kumar said, “I’m returning with good health as I had come”.
Earlier in December last year, the State government had approved a proposal to provide free COVID-19 vaccines to all.
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Later, Bihar’s Health Minister Mangal Pandey said State legislators, too, would be given vaccinations soon. The State government has made arrangements at all government hospitals, district hospitals, primary health centres and 50 identified private hospitals for people over 60 years of age or those younger but with co-morbidities to get the vaccine free of cost.
“The State government will bear the expenses,” Mr. Pandey said.
“In the third stage of vaccination the target is to vaccinate 1.21 crore people of the State,” said health principal secretary Pratyaya Amrit said.
Since January 16 when the first phase of vaccination began, as many as 39,9,831 health workers and 16,0496 frontline workers have got first dose of vaccines; 7,9,212 have also been administered the second dose in the State.