New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal on Monday launched a mass vaccination drive named ‘Jahan vote, wahan vaccine’ with an aim to vaccinate all above the age of 45 within 4 weeks.“We are starting a ‘Jahan vote, Vahan vaccine’ campaign, whereby everyone in this age group will get at least one dose of the vaccine. We aim to do this within 4 weeks. There are 57 lakh people above the age of 45 in Delhi. Of these, 27 lakh have got at least one dose. We have seen that the centers for this age group are empty and not many people are turning up to get vaccinated. We will now go to people’s houses and reach out to them. People will be able to get vaccinated in the same place where they go to cast their vote during an election. Polling centers are usually close to their houses and they can just walk there,” he said in a virtual press conference.

Delhi is the first state to announce a mass vaccination drive to cover a large part of its population by directing people to get their dose at their voting booth. The move to inoculate people over the age of 45 comes as the vaccination drives for 18-44 age group people in the national capital hit a roadblock due to the non-availability of vaccines. Citing a shortage of vaccine doses, Delhi has suspended its immunization drives for people in the age group of 18-44. There are a total of 280 wards in the city, and each week, the campaign will be carried out in 70 wards, covering 280 wards in 4 weeks.“If someone refuses to get vaccinated, the teams will try and convince them and tell them that vaccines are the only way to fight Covid,” Kejriwal said.