KOLKATA: The KMC’s initiative to draw reluctant second dose recipients to its vaccination clinics and mega centres seems to have yielded results.
A large number of senior citizens, who had been avoiding civic body’s vaccination clinics despite their second dose dates getting over, fearing that they would contract the novel coronavirus from the milling crowd, have finally started queueing up.
The KMC health department roped in honorary health workers to reach out to such senior citizens and other bona fide recipients and offered them coupons, showing which they could get their jabs at the civic centres without having to wait in lines.
Now that the number of vaccine recipients has gone up, the clinics have asked civic authorities to reserve the lion’s share of the allocation for second dose recipients. Going by the KMC health department data, around 75% of the allocations are now being used for second dose recipients. “Every day, we are sending 250 doses of Covishield to a clinic. Around 75% are being kept for second dose recipients,” said a KMC health official.
Civic officials said some senior citizens chose not to visit KMC vaccination clinics in Garia, Patuli, Baghajatin, Jadavpur, Kasba and Garfa to avoid the crowds .
Witnessing a sharp drop in the number of second dose recipients, KMC started a survey in some neighbourhoods to find out why some senior citizens had given their second doses a miss. On getting their feedback, KMC decided on the coupon system.
“Now we are satisfied that second dose recipients are visiting my clinic in large numbers. We don’t have a dearth of doses at present and citizens should take the advantage and get inoculated before the Pujas,” said a medical officer and a KMC-run vaccination clinic in-charge.
KMC mega centres are also witnessing a sharp rise in second dose recipients. According to a health official, mega centres in Bhowanipore, Chetla, Harish Mukherjee Road and Behala are witnessing a rush.
“We send 600 doses to a mega centre daily. Of them, 400-450 are being used for second dose,” he said. People from Howrah, Hooghly and South and North 24 Parganas continued to visit KMC centres. “Most first dose recipients are from other districts. As long as we have vials, we will help them,” said an official.
