E-Paper
Only 4% Mohali residents full vaccinated till now
Civil surgeon says vaccine hesitancy among villagers is the reason for the low numbers; around 3 lakh people in the 18-45 age group have got at least the first dose
Getting vaccinated is now the only viable protection against Covid and its rapidly mutating variants, but only around 63,000 people out of Mohali’s total population of 14.2 lakh have been fully inoculated so far. This is just 4.4%, or one out of 22 people. Around 5.49 lakh (40%) people in the district have got the first dose.
The vaccination drive began on January 16 this year for healthcare and frontline workers; Phase 2 of the drive for senior citizens and those aged above 45 with comorbidities began on March 1; for all people above 45 years on March 23; while the 18-44 age bracket was covered from May 1 onwards under the third phase.
Mohali civil surgeon Dr Adarsh Pal Kaur said, “The percentage of people vaccinated is low as residents of villages are not coming forward. But, the response from urban areas has been good. We will be meeting panchayats soon to ensure that their apprehensions are addressed.”
According to figures from the CoWin portal, of the 5.49 lakh inoculated residents , 2.94 lakh are from the 18-45 age group, followed by 1.11 lakh from the 45-60 age bracket, while only 80,000 senior citizens have got the jab. Notably, out of the total number, 2,93,880 are men and 1,91,761 women.
In Mohali, vaccines are being administered at 32 government sites and eight private hospitals. A drive-through campaign is also underway at the Sports Complex in Sector 78.
Both Covishield and Covaxin are being offered. While the second dose of Covishield is being provided only after 84 days as per central government guidelines, Covaxin’s second dose is being administered after 28 days.
Among the population covered so far, 4,81,695 have received Covishield and around 66,760 Covaxin.
Deputy commissioner Girish Dayalan said the drive is picking up. “Initially, people were reluctant, but now, we are getting good response from the people belonging to the 18-45 age group. The numbers will improve in the coming days,” he said.
