PRAYAGRAJ: From vaccine hesitancy to vaccine acceptability, the three factors of -- vaccine recipients sharing their experiences, easing of misconceptions about vaccination and its side-effects, and busting of various myths about vaccination are the three prime factors that have helped health authorities to ramp up vaccination exercise among the eligible recipients in Sangam city.
Nodal officer (vaccination) at MLN Medical College, Dr Utsav Singh said, "Experiences shared by vaccinated persons have helped health authorities to ramp up vaccination among targeted recipients to a major extent and more and more recipients of all age groups are arriving at the vaccination sites to get vaccinated."
He further added, "Apart from travel restrictions, compulsory vaccination in many government and non-government departments have also offered a helping hand for health authorities to achieve the target in the city".
About eight per cent of the targeted recipients in the city are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. With 3,000 more people getting the second jab administered on Tuesday, the number of people who are now fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in the city crossed the 3.24 lakh mark.
Moreover, with 30 per cent of the targeted recipients taking the first dose, their numbers have also surged to 12.60 lakh. Officials of the health department have set a target of immunizing around 42.39 lakh recipients of all age groups, including 29 lakh recipients aged between 18 and 44 years and 12.87 lakh above 45 years.
As per the latest data released by the health department, a total of 15.97 lakh shots have been given to recipients of all age groups in the district till August 24.
Out of the 12.61 lakh people who have been administered the vaccine first dose so far, 3.24 lakh recipients have received the second shot. A total of over 14,000 vaccine shots were administered to people of all age groups on Tuesday itself.
District Immunization Officer (DIO) and Additional chief medical officer (ACMO) Dr Teerath Lal told TOI that the immunization drive was in full swing in the Sangam city and that vaccination teams are making sincere efforts to cover the maximum number of recipients at vaccination sites in rural and urban sites. He added that vaccination has been currently taken up at 46 sites including 21 in rural areas and the rest in urban areas. However, with the health department ramping up the vaccination drive against Covid-19 infection, the city is likely to zoom past the 17 lakh vaccination mark by the end of this week.
As 15.91 lakh doses have been administered to eligible beneficiaries in the district so far, the department aims to cover at least 14,000 – 16,000 recipients in a single day as per the availability of vaccines.
Interestingly, people of all groups, particularly youngsters, are keen to get the jab and they too wait patiently in the queue outside vaccination sites. The number of recipients in the 18 to 44 years group was undoubtedly five to six times compared to the recipients above 45 years, said the department.
