Chandigarh, Panchkula see stark improvement in vaccination numbers

With the Chandigarh administration and Haryana government banning entry of partially vaccinated people in public places from January 1, residents are now thronging vaccination centres in UT and Panchkula

With the Chandigarh administration and Haryana government banning entry of partially vaccinated people in public places from January 1, residents are now thronging vaccination centres in UT and Panchkula.

Residents queue up in large numbers outside the vaccination centre at Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh on Wednesday. (Ravi Kumar/HT)

When the order was issued by the UT administration on December 24, only 83.6% of the eligible population was fully vaccinated and around 2,800 people were getting jabbed on a weekly basis. Within five days, the percentage of fully vaccinated people has reached 85.7% and weekly average has risen to 5,119. Those found violating the UT administration’s order will face a fine of ₹500.

The Haryana government had issued the order on December 22 and following that, even Panchkula has seen a stark improvement in inoculation numbers.

Earlier, the health officials were having a tough time convincing people to come forward for vaccination. Some of them even misbehaved and argued with health workers. Even amid pressure from the central government to increase the percentage of the fully-vaccinated population, citizens were not cooperating, officials said.

Till December 22, 83% of the target population was fully vaccinated, and within a week, it has increased to 89.9%. Also, the number of people getting jabbed per day has increased from around 2,000 to over 6,000.

Out of the target population of 4,44,675, 89.9% have been fully vaccinated in Panchkula till now.

Following in Haryana and Chandigarh’s footsteps, the Punjab government on Tuesday also announced a ban on the entry of partially vaccinated individuals in public places, from January 15.