PUNE: A total of 3,667 or 71% of the total 5,200 healthcare workers took the Covid shot in the Pune Metropolitan Region (PMR) on Wednesday, marking its highest ever turnout so far.
Among the PMR components, the Pune municipal areas recorded its highest turnout on Wednesday, with 83% out of 1,700 daily beneficiaries taking the vaccine. While the Pimpri Chinchwad municipal areas accounted for 721 vaccinations (80% out of 900) on Wednesday, the rural areas lagged with 59% coverage (1,543 out of 2,600).
The inoculation drive conducted on Monday (January 25) had recorded 69% vaccination in the PMR. In addition to the on-the-spot vaccination of registered but unscheduled beneficiaries, seamless and uninterrupted functioning of Co-WIN application at most centres were the major factors behind the surge in the number of vaccinations, health officials said.
A total of 14,986 healthcare workers have been vaccinated in the region ever since the drive began on January 16.
Ashish Bharati, chief of the health department, PMC, said, “The drive is slowly getting streamlined. Barring a few exceptions like Kamala Nehru hospital, most centres did not face Co-WIN application-related issues on Wednesday.”
When asked if the daily target would further be increased, Bharati said, “The government has asked us not to exceed the vaccination session sites above 16. Hence, for now, we will not be increasing the daily target. Our daily target vaccination will continue to be 1,600 workers till further orders. Although we exceeded it a little on Wednesday.”
Four new vaccination sites have been included in the PMC areas from Wednesday. They include Jehangir hospital, Inlaks and Budharani hospital, KEM hospital and Joshi hospital. Barring Joshi hospital, where only 30 of the expected 100 beneficiaries took the shot, the other three newly added sites recorded more than 70% vaccinations on their first day.
Talera Hospital in Chinchwad led the vaccination figures in the PCMC limits, with 119 beneficiaries getting the shots there. At the Thergaon Hospital in Pimple Nilakh, as many as 104 beneficiaries got the shot on Wednesday.
Pavan Salve, additional health chief, PCMC, said, “We all are working hard on vaccination drive, which is why the response is increasing with each passing day.”
Ayush Prasad, CEO, Pune Zilla Parishad, said, “It is a marginal drop. Hence, it is not worrisome. We have been maintaining a above 60% vaccination since the beginning of the drive. We will definitely push the numbers in coming days."