With overall Covid-19 vaccination coverage standing at just 35 per cent in Chandigarh, Punjab Governor and UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore on Friday directed the officers concerned to start an awareness campaign to remove hesitancy from the minds of people regarding the vaccination.
Only 22 per cent beneficiaries out of the targeted healthcare and frontline workers turned up for Covid-19 vaccination in the city on Friday.
A total of 643 beneficiaries against the target of 2876 were inoculated at various sites. This included 346 healthcare workers against the target of 1777 and 297 frontline workers against the target of 1099.
The overall COVID-19 vaccination coverage stands at just 35 percent in the city while the coverage of healthcare workers stands at 34 percent. With this, Chandigarh continues to be in the list of worst performing states /UTs in COVID-19 vaccination coverage as per the Union Health Ministry.
Till now, only 6600 healthcare workers against the target of 19116 and 1529 frontline workers against the target of 3887 have been inoculated. Overall 8129 HCWs and FLWs have been vaccinated against the target of 23003 since the launch of vaccination drive in the city.
During the review meeting on COVID-19 situation in the city, Badnore directed that since 1,21,850 doses of Covishield are available, all efforts should be made to enhance vaccination rating. All the 14 sites must be fully functional and there should be an IEC campaign to remove hesitancy from the minds of the persons regarding the vaccination, he directed.
Badnore also requested the senior doctors to take a lead in vaccination.
VK Singh, Additional Secretary Textile, deputed by Government of India to monitor the vaccination in the city also attended the meeting.
It was informed that in PGIMER, against 10,408 workers registered for vaccination, 2,800 health workers have got the vaccine.
Badnore also directed all health institutions to ensure that OPDs become fully functional and the status is restored to pre-Corona days.
Meanwhile, 19 fresh positive cases surfaced in Chandigarh on Friday. The total case tally stood at 21203 while the death toll was 344 in the city, according to the Chandigarh Health Department’s evening bulletin.
The bulletin stated, “Ten males and nine females were tested positive in the last 24 hours. There were 142 active cases till the evening. 17 patients have recovered in the past 24 hours taking the total number of recoveries to 20717.”
2.31 lakh samples have so far been tested in the city. A total of 1186 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours and the report of 90 was awaited, the bulletin added.
