Placed in the top five worst performing states /UTs in the country in Covid-19 vaccination coverage by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Chandigarh continues to record a lukewarm response to the ongoing vaccination drive against the virus.

On Friday, only 452 beneficiaries against the target of 1197 turned up at 12 sites to get a shot of vaccination in the city. This included 371 healthcare workers against the target of 1106 and 81 frontline workers against the target of 91. The overall achievement rate for the day was recorded at a poor 37 percent.

A day before, the Union Ministry had placed Chandigarh at fifth position among worst performing states/UT’s in vaccination coverage with an overall achievement rate of only 22.5 per cent since the beginning of vaccination drive on January 16.

The Ministry has given suggestions and also directed the UT Administration to improve the overall achievement of vaccination drive.

As per the data of UT Health Department, not a single healthcare worker turned up for the vaccination at Manimajra centre against the target of 58 on Friday.

Giving details, the spokesman said that a total of 26 HCWs against the target of 146 received the dose of vaccination at GMSH-16 site 1, 61 against the target of 142 at GMSH-16 site 2, 27 HCWs against the target of 100 at CH-Sector 45 site 1, 43 against 100 at CH-45 site 2, 18 HCWs at GMCH-32 site one, 22 at GMCH-32 site two, 79 HCWs at PGIMER site 1, 17 HCWs at PGIMER site 2, 58 HCWs at PGIMER site 3 and 20 at ESI-Ramdarbar. 48 against the target of 50 police personnel were also inoculated.

Notably, the second phase of vaccination drive for frontline workers which include the police personnel, Municipal Corporation Employees, Revenue officials, Paramilitary forces etc had begun on Wednesday in the city.

The first phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive began on January 16.

Till now, 4922 healthcare workers and frontline workers have been inoculated in Chandigarh and the city has an overall achievement rate of around 23 percent.

1 DEATH, 24 FRESH COVID-19 CASES IN CHANDIGARH

One more person succumbed to COVID-19 as 24 fresh positive cases surfaced in Chandigarh on Friday. While the tally stood at 21060, the death toll has reached 338 in the city, according to the Chandigarh Health Department’s evening bulletin.

23 patients have recovered in the past 24 hours taking the total number of recoveries to 20535, it stated.  2.22 lakh samples have so far been tested in the city in which 1358 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours.