Ghaziabad: 100% beneficiaries of 18+ age group vaccinated

To be sure, vaccination for the 18+ age group started on January 16 last year, while vaccination for the 12-15 and 15-18 categories started on March 16 and January 3 this year, respectively

Seventeen months after vaccination against Covid-19 started in Ghaziabad, the health department said it has been able to vaccinate all beneficiaries in the 18+ age group (which comprises the largest section of the district’s population). Officials of the department also said they have vaccinated all beneficiaries across age groups with the first dose and are likely to achieve 100% second-dose vaccination later this month.

The district was assigned a target of vaccinating 2,844,305 beneficiaries in the 18+ age group and according to official figures till June 8, the first-dose coverage is 3,006,709--about 105.71% of the target. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

To be sure, vaccination for the 18+ age group started on January 16 last year, while vaccination for the 12-15 and 15-18 categories started on March 16 and January 3 this year, respectively.

The district was assigned a target of vaccinating 2,844,305 beneficiaries in the 18+ age group and according to official figures till June 8, the first-dose coverage is 3,006,709--about 105.71% of the target. Officials said first-dose vaccination has crossed 100% as several people from other districts and a migrating population have also been vaccinated in Gautam Budh Nagar. Similarly, the second-dose coverage in the age group is 2,888,235, which is about 101.54% of the target.

“Vaccinating the 18+ age group fully is an achievement as it has the largest number of beneficiaries in the district. We were able to achieve 100% vaccination for this age group earlier this week. We have vaccinated all beneficiaries in the other two age groups-- 12-15 and 15-18-- with the first dose, and the second-dose vaccination is at about 79.76% and 90.08%, respectively. We expect to achieve 100% second-dose vaccination in the next 2-3 weeks,” said Dr GP Mathuria, nodal officer for Covid-19 vaccination.

“We are still operating 90 vaccination sites per day and urging people to get themselves vaccinated. There is no shortage of vaccine and anyone can walk in and get vaccinated,” Dr Mathuria added.

According to official figures, the district till June 8 recorded 86,692 Covid-19 cases since the pandemic broke out in March 2020. The number of active cases as on Wednesday is 72. The district has also witnessed 473 Covid-related deaths so far. The last Covid-related death took place in the district on February 6.

The district is conducting an average of about 4,000-4,500 tests per day. Ghaziabad’s current positivity rate is 0.74%.

According to medical experts, 100% vaccination for the 18+ age group is encouraging.

“The present cases of Covid-19 are less severe than those in 2020 and 2021. Earlier, the virus infected the lower respiratory tract and resulted in fatalities, while nowadays it is generally restricted to the upper respiratory tract. So, it is vital that people take their second doses as well and get maximum protection against the virus,” said Dr Ashish Aggarwal, former president of Indian Medical Association (Ghaziabad chapter).