Chandigarh sets target to vaccinate all by July end

As per the latest electoral list, a total of 7,12,000 people in Chandigarh are eligible to take vaccine in the 18+ age group category and special groups

With the aim to vaccinate residents before the possible third wave of Covid-19, the Chandigarh health department on Friday set a target to cover all 7.12 lakh eligible beneficiaries by July end.

So far, 4,08,353 (58%) residents have taken their first dose and 80,030 (11%) out of the eligible population have completed their vaccination cycle. (HT File Photo)

“As per the latest electoral list, a total of 7,12,000 people in Chandigarh were eligible to take vaccine in the 18+ age group category and special groups, and we aim to administer at least the first dose to all of them by July end. So far, 4,08,353 (58%) residents have taken their first dose,” said Dr Amandeep Kang, director health services, Chandigarh.

Also, 80,030 (11%) people out of the eligible population have completed their vaccination cycle after getting their second dose, till Friday. Besides, 94.48% of the total healthcare and 94.24% of the total frontline workers have received the first shot.

In all, 4,31,853 vaccine doses have been administered to people in Chandigarh, who include a few non-residents, as the health department does not have specific data on locals vaccinated.

“We focus on vaccinating people in the age group of 18-44 as their drive started only in May. So far, 1,61,429 beneficiaries in this age group have taken their first shot while 342 of them have already completed their vaccination cycle,” said Dr Kang, adding that the UT health department has started walk-in vaccination facility in all government hospitals and dispensaries to help those who could not book appointment on the Co-WIN app.

The health department is also sending 15 mobile vaccination vans to various places in Chandigarh daily, including to urban clusters and rural areas where people can simply walk in and get inoculated.

Door-to-door vax in August

For helping the elderly population who could not visit the vaccination centres due to their age or other illnesses, the health department will conduct door-to-door vaccination rounds from August 1 to 15.

“So far, 79,590 elderly people (above the age of 60) have taken their first dose in Chandigarh, and still some population is left to cover. The door-to-door vaccination will help them in vaccinating the remaining elderly people,” said Dr Kang.

Dr Kang also said that vaccines are easily available in government as well as private hospitals, and they are getting regular supply from the central government.

“The central government has allocated 2 lakh doses for Chandigarh for July, of which 1.5 lakh will be given to government hospitals. We have enough vaccines in our store to vaccinate the eligible population at the earliest,” she said.