Thiruvananthapuram: Asserting his government is speeding up vaccination to avoid the possibility of the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday said 60 percent of Kerala’s population can be vaccinated if the state gets adequate number of vaccines from the Centre.
“To avoid the possibility of the COVID third wave, we are speeding up vaccination. If we get an adequate number of vaccines from the Centre, at the pace of vaccination carried out in the state, 60% of Kerala's population can be vaccinated,” ANI quoted Vijayan as saying.
The Chief Minister informed that Kerala on Friday reported 17,518 new cases, 132 deaths and 11,067 recoveries.
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“Kerala reports 17,518 new cases, 132 deaths and 11,067 recoveries today. Test positivity rate is at 13.63%,” he said.
Vijayan further said the campaign for vaccinating all pregnant women has started in the state.
“So far, about 40,000 pregnant women have been vaccinated,” he added.
The Chief Minister’s remarks come amid concerns whether Kerala is heading for a third wave as there has been an increase in Covid-19 cases in the state.
Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said more than 43.87 crore vaccine doses have been provided to the states and Union Territories so far, through all sources and a further 71,40,000 doses are in the pipeline.