Before shaking hands, ask people if they have taken second Covid jab: Goa CM

Hoping to get nearly 1.30 lakh persons in the state to vaccination booths for administration of their second Covid jab, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday urged people to question persons about the status of their second jab, before shaking hands.

"Before you shake hands with people, ask them if they have taken a second dose?" Sawant told reporters on Wednesday, expressing concern about the 1.30 lakh persons in the coastal state who have refrained from getting administered with the second Covid dose.

"It is important that a maximum number of people take the second dose. Around 1.30 lakh people have not taken the second dose. If you take the second dose, even if you contract Omicron by accident, the percentage of it becoming serious is minimal," the Chief Minister told a press conference here.

"Therefore vaccinate yourself, vaccinate your family and those who are reaching the age of 18 should get the first dose. We are aiming for 100 percent vaccination not just for making a public declaration, but for the safety of the people," the Chief Minister also said.