15% of eligible population in Thane has not taken a single vaccination dose against Covid

Vaccination centres in Thane city are empty nowadays; from mid-September, the response from the people to get jabbed against Covid has been poor

Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has nearly 15% of its eligible population who have not taken a single dose of the vaccine whereas hardly 30% have been fully vaccinated till now.

Beneficiaries get jabbed at the Anand Vihar centre in Kalwa on Saturday, when the Thane Municipal Corporation conducted a mass vaccination drive against Covid. (PRAFUL GANGURDE/HT PHOTO)

The vaccination centres in the city are empty nowadays. From mid-September, the response at vaccination centres has been poor. Bad weather and festive season seem to be the reason, according to the civic body.

Thane city has vaccinated 15,28,935 beneficiaries till now. These include 8,25,625 males and 7,03,310 females.

The response for the second dose has not picked up yet. With the festive season, the response for vaccination at centres has dipped drastically and the civic body has ample doses left. On Saturday, TMC had scheduled a vaccination drive with 24,000 doses ready to be administered.

“The bad weather last week and the festive season could have been a deterrent for many. Moreover, during Ganesh Chaturthi, we had kept the vaccination schedule closed for a few days. This time, we continued with the same on all the days,” said a civic officer from TMC.

Among those above 45 years of age, there are 7.70% who have not jabbed at all and among the 18-45 years age group, there are 17.20% who have not been inoculated at all. At 84% vaccination across the city, TMC has started conducting mass vaccination drives in areas where there are fewer responses.

On October 2, a massive vaccination drive was held in Diva. It received a good response and hence a similar drive was planned by the Thane civic on Saturday as well. A vaccination drive for 1,000 beneficiaries was organised at Kharegaon, Kalwa.

“We also cannot rule out the possibility that there are many who get vaccinated outside the city and many from outside Thane limits who prefer to vaccinate within Thane. This could cause a difference in the vaccination figures. However, we need to focus on all strata of society and ensure that the vaccine is accessible. Hence, we organise mass vaccination drives at regular intervals in the city,” said Sandeep Malvi, additional commissioner, TMC.

The waiting period involved in getting the second dose could also be the reason for fewer numbers of fully vaccinated people. The mass vaccination drive in Kalwa saw a good response.

“There is hardly any vaccination centre near my house. So, I had not taken the vaccine till now. This mass drive was a boon as we could finish the process within 10 minutes. This helped me as I have senior citizens and kids to take care of at home and could not leave them unattended for long,” said Savita Katkar, a 38-year-old resident of Kharegaon.