The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Union and the Delhi governments to respond to a petition by an octogenarian woman seeking direction to introduce a policy on urgent door-to-door COVID-19 vaccination for high-risk senior citizens in the capital.
Dhiraj Aggarwal, 84, who suffers from arthritis, said she could be exposed to COVID-19 if she went to a vaccine centre. Moreover, she was mostly bed-ridden and unable to go to a centre due to her condition.
“Due to her condition, she could not get any shot of the COVID-19 vaccine till date,” the petition said.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh sought a response from the authorities by September 16, the next date of the hearing.
The petition also pointed out that several super senior and bed-ridden citizens, who were vulnerable to COVID-19, did not have private transport to reach a vaccination centre or even a family member who would help them with the registration process.
The petition stated that States such as Jharkhand and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir had already begun door-to-door campaigns for vaccination. It said the government should introduce a helpline number for COVID-19 vaccine registration.