E-Paper
Vaccination drive gets a boost in Chandigarh
The UT health department has started an exercise of mapping all households with members above the age of 45 years to motivate them for vaccination
The extension of Covid-19 vaccine to all above 45 years of age from April 1 has given a much-needed fillip to the drive in Chandigarh.
In the previous weeks, the number of people vaccinated was seeing a constant decline, and dropped to 8,188 between March 20 and 26. However, in the following week (March 27-April 2), it went up to 9,559.
Between March 1 — when along with senior citizens, people in the age group of 45-59 and having comorbidities were allowed to get the vaccine — and March 31, only 4,164 in the latter group had received the first dose. However, just within three days after the restrictions were removed, the number shot up to 10,113.
The response among the seniors, however, is dwindling. In the first half of March, around 19,000 people took the jab, but the number in the latter half of the month dropped to around 12,000.
A total of 88,299 doses have been administered in the city so far. The coverage among health-care workers stands at 52%; among the front-line workers from other departments, only 60% of the registered employees have been inoculated.
The low response, when compared to the city’s daily capacity of inoculating 7,000 persons, has prompted the UT health department to start the exercise of mapping all households with members above the age of 45 years.
As per the plan, dispensary-level health workers will cover the area under their jurisdiction to identify reasons of poor coverage and apprehensions among the people. The move is aimed at motivating people and allaying their fears.
Dr Amandeep Kang, UT director of health services, said, “Vaccination is the key to break the transmission chain at the earliest. With vaccines, the severity of the disease will lower and mortality rate will come down.”
