Bharatiya Janata Party MP Tejasvi Surya on Saturday launched a new version of the COVID Raksha helpline for the residents of Bengaluru South. The helpline is accessible on 080 6191 4960, to assist citizens during the union government's vaccination drive.
"We in Bengaluru South are ensuring maximum people get vaccinated. With COVID Raksha 2.0, we are helping senior citizens book an appointment on the COWIN portal or Arogya Sethu app, providing post-vaccine counselling with the help of expert doctors and also informing senior citizens about the vaccination centers located closest to their homes," Surya said.
"It is notable that the Narendra Modi government has vaccinated more than 50 lakh senior citizens in just a few days of launching the world's largest vaccine drive," the BJP MP said.
Surya, the national president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, has also set up helpdesks in government facilities, manned by volunteers and party functionaries, to assist senior citizens. Registration booths for vaccination appointments will also soon be set up near parks and hospitals for the benefit of senior citizens.
COVID Raksha was initially launched as a solution to help manage the COVID-19 pandemic operations. In its earlier avatar functional during the lockdown and restart phases of the pandemic, more than 200 volunteers were active on the helpline, connecting citizens with over 100 doctors for effecting COVID-19 treatment.
During the successful drive of COVID Raksha 1.0, the office of the MP answered around 10,700 calls, solved 3,465 sessions on WhatsApp, helped with 582 Hospital transfers, and resolved around 96 emergency cases. Additionally, the initial version of the COVID Raksha platform completed triaging of symptoms for 1,698 citizens over teleconsultation.
The country started its vaccination drive on January 16 with priority given to all healthcare and frontline workers in the first phase. The second phase started on March 1 where doses are being administered to people above the age of 60 and those between 45 and 59 years with specific comorbidities.
( With inputs from ANI )
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