E-Paper
42,000 beneficiaries in 15 to 17 years’ age group due for 2nd Covid dose in Pune
A drastic fall in the number of cases and a subsequent drop in the fear factor has reduced the demand for vaccination
Nearly 42,000 beneficiaries in the age group of 15 to 17 years who are eligible for their second dose of Covaxin are yet to take the shot. Due to poor response to the second dose of the vaccine, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has now started following up with each eligible beneficiary.
A drastic fall in the number of cases and a subsequent drop in the fear factor has reduced the demand for vaccination.
According to the PMC health department, there are close to 1.75 lakh beneficiaries in the age group of 15 to 17 years who are eligible for the vaccination. Out of these, 109,421 beneficiaries have taken the first shot of the vaccine while 61,942 beneficiaries have also taken the second shot of the vaccine.
Dr Suryakant Deokar, PMC immunisation chief officer said, “We have called up over 1,000 beneficiaries and most of them are students studying for their 10th and 12th exams and so they have said that they will take the vaccine once the exams are over. Some have promised to take the vaccine. The drastic fall in new Covid-19 cases has brought in a sense of safety and the fear factor which drove large numbers of vaccinations during the second and third wave and thereafter is not present now.”
About 42,000 beneficiaries who are due for their second dose have not yet taken the second shot of Covaxin. So now the civic body officials have started calling up beneficiaries to remind them of the second shot of the vaccine. “We started calling the beneficiaries in the past two days and as of March 25th, we tried calling 1,270 people out of which 260 could not be contacted, four are active Covid-19 patients, and 42 have taken the second dose after we contacted them,” said Dr Deokar.
