Shillong, Aug 9: Meghalaya government is targeting to vaccinate atleast 70 percent of its population by September end. As of date, 46 percent of the state’s population has been vaccinated with atleast the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine.

Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Health & Family Welfare, Prestone Tynsong on Monday said the target of the government in the next few weeks up to the end of September is to achieve 70 percent of the vaccination.

However, the hesitancy against the vaccine is creating hurdles for the government to achieve its target.  Even so, the government is trying its best to make sure that this kind of fear psychosis is removed from the mindset of the citizens of the state.

Similarly, the government’s target is to achieve 100 percent vaccination against COVID-19 at the earliest possible.

“Our intention is to complete 100 percent of the vaccination. If we can (achieve this), the restrictions will no longer be there,” Tynsong told reporters after a meeting to review the situation in the state.

Situation near normal

Meanwhile, Director of Health Services (MI), Dr Aman War said that the situation as of now is near normal.

“From the beginning what happened is that we have said we have to learn to live with the virus so this near normal is approaching gradually. So till we reach normal normal till that point of time I will be able to tell,” he said.

With regards to the high rate of casualty due to COVID-19, Dr War said, “Unvaccinated – we have seen that when they reach the hospital if they crossed the variant from moderate to severe, it is very difficult for them to come out. So you will see that the mortality rate is very high amongst the unvaccinated that is why we are initiating this vaccination in a manner which is more appropriate.”