PUNE: After senior citizens, full immunization has been achieved in over 60% of the citizens in the 45 to 60 years age groups of the Pune Metropolitan Region (PMR), the latest district administration report shows.
The percentage of full immunisation is 67% in senior citizens 60 years and above while it is pegged at 64% in those in the 45 to 60 years, the report has stated.
However, the percentage of beneficiaries who have received both the doses of Covid vaccine is only 16% in the 18-44 years age bracket.
Earlier, inclusion of senior citizens followed by middle-aged groups in the vaccination drive after prioritizing vaccination of healthcare and front line workers has pushed the vaccination numbers in these age brackets. However, with the high level of mobility in 18-44 years, it is essential to speed up their full vaccination with the rest of the population, experts said.
“We have achieved the desired pace and speed in vaccination and we need to maintain that. Going by this speed, we will fully vaccinate both the senior citizens and middle-aged population within the next two months,” Sanjay Deshmukh, assistant director, health services, Pune circle. said.
The PMR's total population is 1.17 crore. Of this, 85.39 lakh residents are above 18 years who are eligible to get the Covid vaccine. Among this, 74% population have received the first dose of the Covid vaccine as of September 12. However, the completion of vaccination with both doses is achieved in 34% of the region's eligible population, he said.
On the low numbers in young adults, Deshmukh said, “The vaccination of 18-44 years began from June 1 and there is an 84 days interval between the two doses. Hence, the percentage of full immunization is comparatively low.”
“There is still sizeable amount of vaccine hesitancy among young adults especially in rural areas of Pune and in city areas and the slum pockets,” Sanjay Patil, chairman of the Indian Medical Association's Hospital Board of India, said.
Besides, those (in the 18-44 years) who are due and can afford paid shots must get their second doses as soon as possible as a sizeable number of vaccine doses are currently lying unused with the private hospitals as the demand for paid jabs had plummeted.
