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66% health workers skip Covid vaccine in Chandigarh
The five-week drive that began to administer the first shot to health workers concluded on Saturday, leaving just four days of mop-up rounds starting from Monday
While the Covid-19 vaccination drive for priority groups is entering the final stage, its pace has slackened further, with only 20% of the targeted beneficiaries turning up to get the shot this week.
The five-week drive that began on January 16 to administer the first shot to health workers concluded on Saturday, leaving just four days of mop-up rounds starting from Monday. The coverage among health workers in the city stands at 34%, one of the lowest in the country.
According to the data presented before the state steering committee on Friday, Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, continues to lag behind with just 25% coverage so far.
Even the region’s premier health institute, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, has been able to inoculate just 31% of its workers. Frontline workers associated with the Chandigarh health department have been the most forthcoming, as 46% of them have got the first dose.
Meanwhile, frontline workers from police, municipal corporation and other departments have also shown reluctance to take the shot, with just 15.5% covered since the drive to inoculate them began on February 3.
“The drive for the next group will begin in March, and it is unlikely the health workers will be provided with more chances (to get the free vaccine) after February 25. The same stands true for frontline workers from other departments, for whom the mop up rounds will end in the first week of March,” said Dr Amandeep Kang, director, UT health department.
Dr Kang said with the number of Covid-19 cases seeing a spike in some parts of the country, it is important for the reluctant workers to come forward.
“Sufficient immunity will be generated only after two months from the date of first dose, and thus it is important that we achieve maximum coverage. It will help us weaken the second wave of the pandemic. The onus lies on the workers,” she said.
The administration this week had expanded the network to inoculate more people with the number of people getting the jab touching 1,101 on Saturday. The daily inoculation capacity also touched around 5,400, which was 500 when the drive began.
