August vax drive in Pune:Highest count since Jan; first vax doses rise by 17%, second 20%

August saw Pune’s highest vaccination drive ever since it started in January

August saw Pune’s highest vaccination drive ever since it started in January.

A health worker gives a covid-19 vaccine jab to a beneficiary at a vaccination center at Sahakar Nagar in Pune. (HT PHOTO)

Although the central government opened up vaccination eligibility for all persons above 18 years in May, the shortage of vaccines slowed down the process but in August, with the support of private companies donating large amounts of vaccines, the administration was able to inoculate over 1.8 million people in the month of August alone.

First dose vaccinations rose by 17% and second dose vaccinations rose by 20% in just a month.

So, 70% of eligible beneficiaries got the first dose while 38% have been fully vaccinated in the district.

Out of the 8.142 million vaccine doses administered in the district, 1.880 million or 23% were administered in the month of August alone.

Out of these 1.880 million vaccine doses, 695,158 were administered in Pune city (Pune municipal corporation); 426,138 were administered in Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC); and 758,766 were administered in Pune rural. Out of the expected 8.53 million beneficiaries in the district, 5.94 million got the first dose while 2.20 million were fully vaccinated.

This is 70% of the eligible beneficiaries who got at least one shot of the vaccine and 38% who got both shots of the vaccine, which, by the end of July, was only 53% of the eligible beneficiaries who had got the first shot of the vaccine and 18% were fully vaccinated.

On Saturday, Maharashtra broke a new vaccination record as the previous best single day record for vaccination was bettered and 1,161,141 Covid-19 vaccines were administered till 6 pm which would further increase later, informed Dr Pradip Vyas, principal secretary of the state public health department.