Centre must think of mandatory vaccination to tide over hesitancy: Tope

The Centre should think about enforcing mandatory COVID-19 vaccination to tide over hesitancy among a segment of people, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Friday.

He said under the state government's 'Mission Kavach Kundal', health workers were going door-to-door to get people to take vaccine doses, but they were facing resistance due to which a sizable section was still unvaccinated.

"Some 98 lakh people in Maharashtra have not got their first dose so far. We have submitted in writing to the Centre to make vaccination against COVID-19 mandatory. The Union government should also release a standard operation procedure for lockdown and curbs," he said.

The COVID-19 cases are rising but some 86 per cent patients are in home isolation and only 2.86 per cent require ICU admission and oxygen, he informed.