PUNE: Lakhs of citizens in Pune district are unlikely to be fully vaccinated by December, rough estimates by senior health department officials show.
Officials told TOI that the entire eligible adult population in Pune district would be fully vaccinated only by March 2022. The 84-day gap between two Covishield shots rather than the vaccine supplies is the reason.
As per statistics from the health department, nearly six lakh citizens have yet to get their first doses which the authorities aim to achieve by October-end. These citizens will be eligible for their second doses only in second fortnight of January even if all of them were to get their first shots during the next few days.
A majority of them are likely to get Covishield as it is more widely available. Add to this number the remaining who would be due for second doses, those who received their first doses earlier this month, and those who would opt for it anytime after October. As of Saturday, over half the district’s eligible adult population is yet to be fully vaccinated.
Dr Sanjay Deshmukh, assistant director (medical), Pune circle, told TOI that those who would get the first dose this month will have to wait for 84 days for their second shot.
“It is thus likely that we may achieve full vaccination for the entire target adult population in the district by March 2022. By the next few days, we would be able to achieve double vaccination of half of the total projected adults in the district, almost 42 lakh,” he added.
Pune Zilla Parishad CEO Ayush Prasad said, “There are several reasons it may take beyond December 31 to achieve double vaccination for the entire adult population of Pune district. We believe that 14-15% population may be the district’s floating population and hence, that will also have to be taken into account before arriving at the fully vaccinated numbers.”
Prasad said that some beneficiaries in a few rural pockets are hesitant to be vaccinated. “Getting them to start the vaccination schedule will be a challenge, but we are working with NGOs and political leaders to address this,” he added.
There are nearly 3 lakh people left to get their first doses in Haveli, and one lakh in Daund. “In Haveli, some may have already got their first shots from the city. Some may also be disconnected, for which we are closely monitoring vaccination status of population in rural areas by checking for their vax certificates. In Daund, we are planning to organise a special vaccination drive to push the remaining people to get their first shots as soon as possible,” Prasad said.
