Anti-Polio Program To Be Held On January 31

The nation-wide pulse polio immunisation program has been scheduled for January 31.

The program, originally scheduled for January 17, was postponed due to the launch of the Covid-19 vaccine in the state.

Following the delay, the Union health ministry in a statement, said that they had decided to hold the pulse polio immunisation program on January 31.

"After consulting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, we decided to postpone the program to pave the way for the launch of the Covid-19 vaccination program, touted as the world's largest immunisation drive, in a hassle free manner," the notice said.

It also said, "The decision is in keeping with the stated policy of the Health Ministry to ensure that Covid-19 management and vaccination services as well as non-Covid-19 essential health services proceed in tandem without adversely impacting each other."

Today, the Covid-19 vaccination program was flagged off in both the Telugu-speaking states. While in Telangana, the first dose was administered to 42-year-old S Kistamma, a sanitation worker at the Gandhi Hospital in Secunderabad, another sanitation worker, Pushpa Kumari, employed as a cleaner at the Medical Health Department, became the first person in Andhra Pradesh to receive the vaccine.