Inoculation teams at Goa's vaccination centres to get a 2 day leave during Ganesh Chaturthi

The festivities of Ganesh Chaturthi will bring a much-needed respite to the team of inoculators engaged in Goa's expansive COVID-19 'TikaUtsav' drive. On Thursday, the state's nodal officer for vaccination, Anup Netrawalkar, announced "vaccination holidays" during the first two days of the Ganeshutsav. As such, all government vax sites will remain closed on September 10 and 11 here, marking the first official leave of the statewide vaccination efforts after a relentless 228-day campaign.

Vaccination drive to resume on September 12

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In a bid to relieve the inoculation team from Goa's relentless vaccination drive, the state has announced a two-day break during the Ganesh Chaturthi. The nodal vaccination officer has highlighted that the vaccination break has been marked for September 10 and 11 as there may not be a big rush due to festive celebrations across the state.

"This will provide a much-needed break for our healthcare professionals. They have been working for 228 days without a single break", the officer added. The vaccination drive will resume with full force on September 12.

Pacing up the vax drive for Goa schools, college staffers

"Our target is to finish vaccination of teachers and non-teaching staff before Teachers' Day. The principal or headmaster will be certifying teaching and non-teaching staff for schools and colleges making them eligible for vaccination," the nodal officer highlighted. The step is expected to facilitate the re-opening of schools in the offline mode, added reports.