No one can be forced to get vaccinated: Govt to SC
The Union Health Ministry stated in an affidavit to the Supreme Court that the Covid-19 inoculation guidelines do not permit forcible vaccination without an individual's consent. According to the affidavit filed on Sunday, India's vaccination programme is the largest in the world, with 1,52,95,43,602 doses administered as of January 11, 2022. According to the report, 90.84 percent of the eligible adult population received their first dose of the vaccine, and 61% received their second dose as well. "It is submitted that the direction and guidelines issued by the Government of India and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare do not envisage any forcible vaccination without the consent of the concerned individual. "It is further submitted that vaccination for COVID-19 is of greater public interest in light of the ongoing pandemic situation," the Health Ministry said in an affidavit. "It is duly advised, advertised, and communicated through various print and social media platforms that all citizens should get vaccinated, and systems and processes have been designed to facilitate the same," the Ministry said. "However, no one can be forced to be vaccinated against their will," the statement said. "In addition, a total of 23,768 doses have been administered to disabled persons who have voluntarily decided to be identified as such by utilising their Unique Disability ID Card/Disability Certificate for registration at the time of their vaccination," the report stated. The Centre told the Supreme Court that it has not published any SOP requiring persons with disabilities to produce vaccination certificates for any reason. This was stated in the Centre's affidavit in response to a request by the NGO Evara Foundation for priority COVID-19 vaccination for people with impairments. On the issue of door-to-door vaccination, the affidavit stated that states and union territories have been given instructions to conduct meticulous, need-based planning so that Near to Home Vaccine Centres (NHCVCs) strategies are implemented at the block or urban area level, and NHCVC sites are identified according to guidelines. The placement of NHCVCs will be determined by district/urban task teams in order to guarantee that services are available to as many people as possible, according to the report. The Ministry of Health emphasized the importance of continuing to utilize face masks or face covers, and stated that the "Har Ghar Dastak Abhiyan" was being implemented for door-to-door immunization of eligible people, including those with disabilities. It further informed the Supreme Court that people without ID cards are still eligible for vaccination because the CoWIN website allows them to create special vaccination sessions for this purpose. "In addition to English, the CoWIN public interface is said to be available in 11 regional languages. It is also claimed that open files of awareness materials have been supplied with the states for translation, publication, and distribution in any language or format that is accessible.
