E-Paper
Less enthusiasm for second dose, 19% beneficiaries yet to be jabbed
With rise in Covid cases in other countries, dist will reintroduce masks, vaccinations and distancing norms
PUNE Out of the 3.81 million people who have got the first dose in the city, 3.10 million have got the second dose which is about 81.44% have got both doses while close to 19% or 707,361 are yet to take their second dose, according to Pune Municipal Corporation, health department.
With concerns of new variants, rising cases in multiple countries, the state government has stated that the district administration must look forward to reintroducing preventive actions like compulsory wearing of masks, vaccinations and social distancing. However, experts have said that high rate of vaccination, hybrid immunity and also herd immunity gives us a higher level of protection.
Dr Suryakant Deokar, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) chief vaccination officer said, “Pune city has recorded the highest number of vaccinations since January 2021. We were the first to complete 100% vaccination and we were also one of the few cities which ran more than 100 vaccination centres from the beginning. Due to this, we could vaccinate a large number of people before another wave could hit us. As a result of the high vaccinations, in the third wave, we saw very few hospitalisations even though the number of new cases were at record high.”
As per the PMC’s health department, the city has reported 3,813,119 people who have got the first dose, 3,105,758 have got their second dose while 122,952 have got their precautionary dose as of March 16. As of now frontline workers, health care workers and all above 60 years with or without comorbidity have been made eligible for the third precautionary dose. Also, those aged between 12-15 have been made eligible to get their vaccine.
Although the number of new Covid-19 cases has dropped drastically, the state government is now pushing the district administration to ensure full vaccination coverage, adherence to usage of masks and also other Covid-19 Appropriate Behaviour (CAB) as cases continue to rise in other parts of the world and new of new variants are coming up.
Dr Rajesh Karyakarte, head of the microbiology department, Sasoon General Hospital said, “We are on the watch for any surge of new Covid-19 cases or hospitalisations which might go up in case a new variant comes up. Most of the samples which are coming to us now are testing negative. In the beginning of the third wave, we saw that in the initial days was a surge in variants of BA.2 , which was then followed by BA.1, for some time BA 1.1 which is now wreaking havoc in countries China and South Korea. Due to the high rate of infection and pathogenicity due to the Delta wave, hybrid immunity, both vaccination and infection and herd immunity the third wave did not impact hospitalisations as much.”
