Mizoram Health Minister Dr R Lalthangliana on Friday said that people between 18 and 44 years of age will be given COVID-19 vaccine free of cost.
Expressing regret, the minister said that the third phase of inoculation could not be launched along with rest of the country due to insufficient supply of vaccine.
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According to him, the number of people between 18 and 44 years is estimated to be about 5 lakh and about 10 doses of vaccine are required for both doses.
An order of the required doses has been already placed to the manufacturer, he said.
“The date for the next phase of vaccination is uncertain. We have to wait for some more time as the manufacturer was not able to supply the vaccine in time due to a rush in demand,” he said.
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He said that the government will spend more than Rs 30 crore for the purchase of 10 lakh doses of vaccine.
“As our chief minister has great concern for public health, he allowed us to give vaccination to people in the age group of 18 to 44 years free of cost,” Lalthangliana said.
As many as 2,23,805 people have been administered the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 47,370 of them received full doses of the vaccine till Thursday.
The health minister also said that 15 each of oxygen concentrators and cylinders have arrived in the state from Taiwan on Friday.
Besides, 60 oxygen concentrators were provided to the state by the Centre out of 500 concentrators it received from Ireland, he said.
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Chief minister Zoramthanga expressed gratitude to Taiwan and the Centre for the oxygen concentrators and cylinders.
“ThankYouTawian for your continued generosity providing us much needed oxygen concentrators&cylinders. Kudos MP (LS) Pu C. Lalrosanga and Chairman Jonathan Lalremruata @IndiaFormosaFoundation. Taiwan has achieved much in the battle against Covid-19,” Zoramthanga tweeted.
“Much needed Invacare 02 Concentrators (60 nos) from Ireland were airlifted from @IAF_MCC base in Jorhat to cater the needs of people from my state #Mizoram. Thank you Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji,” the chief minister said in another tweet.
Mizoram on Friday reported 184 COVID-19 cases, taking the state’s tally to 7,147.
At least 108 people were discharged from various COVID-19 Care Centres on Friday.
With this, the number of total recoveries has reached 5,459 on Friday.
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The state now has 1,671 active cases.
At least 17 people have succumbed to the infection so far.
Meanwhile, state spokesperson for COVID-19 Dr Pachuau Lalmalsawma said that a 47-year-old woman, who was initially said to have died of COVID-19, was declared “dead due to cancer” after the cause of her death was assessed by the health department.
Earlier today, the woman was mistakenly declared to be dead due to COVID-19 before assessment of the actual causes of her death, he said.
Though she was diagnosed with COVID-19 in May 3, she had been suffering from prolonged cancer, which was the main cause of her death, he said.
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She developed only mild symptoms of COVID-19.
Officials of health department and Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme thoroughly assessed the cause of her death and finally agreed that the woman died of cancer and so she was not counted as “Covid-19 death,” Pachuau said.