Mumbai, Apr 21 (IANS): In a unique suggestion, the Maharashtra Congress on Wednesday demanded Covid-19 'Vaccination At Home' - on the lines of the polio campaign - for all eligible people as they cannot reach the inoculation centres owing to the ongoing lockdown restrictions.

State Congress President Nana Patole said that the common masses have to travel considerable distances, wait in long queues and then get vaccinated.

"The problem is acute in rural areas owing to the smaller number of vaccination centres and the longer distances, at time over 40 kms, for the people to get their life-saver jab," he said, in a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Instead, he said these problems could be easily resolved if the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi government can take the vaccination drive directly to peoples' homes and include them in the process.

Moreover, from May 1, even persons above 18 years age shall be eligible for the jab, meaning more crowds and adding to the risks of spreading the infections, he noted.

Since a large number of manpower may be required to go door-to-door for the vaccination, he urged the CM to requisition the help of trained volunteers, private hospitals or NGos, etc for the purpose.

Patole said that the state government machinery is fighting the Corona war admirably on all fronts and has successively achieved the highest inoculation in the country with 1,29,45,000 doses administered till date.

"Globally, vaccination is proving to be the most effective weapon against Covid-19 and is taken up on a mass-scale by small countries like Israel to big ones like the US. In India, the polio scourge was eradicated by a door-to-door campaign by the Indian government in the past few years," he said.

This was especially necessary, said the state Congress chief, given the fact that the ongoing second wave is spreading faster resulting in massive shortages of medicines like remdesivir, oxygen, isolation facilities, oxygen beds, ICU beds and ventilators across Maharashtra.