Many in 45-plus age group in northeast may not get second shot during Covid peak

GUWAHATI: A large section of the 45-plus age group may not get vaccinated during the peak of the second wave, which experts say, the northeast may experience in May-June.
Barely 10% of the population in this age-group, who were considered more vulnerable to the virus, have got inoculated in Assam till date. According to the health ministry update, no vaccine doses are scheduled for supply to any of the NE states in the next three days, apart from Assam.
Out of the 3.48 crore projected mid-year population aged around 45 years (as on October 1, 2020), 31.08 lakh doses (including wastage) have been consumed by the 45+ age group in Assam. This means less than 8.91% of the 45-plus category has been vaccinated. A part of the administered doses has been consumed by the same beneficiary for the second shot.
As per the health ministry, 2.30 lakh doses are in stock in the state for the 45+ group, for whom another 53,960 doses are in the pipeline. For the six other NE states, no vaccine consignment is in the pipeline in the immediate future.
Out of the 15.26 lakh mid-year population in Arunachal Pradesh, a total consumption of vaccine has been 2.76 lakh doses, less than 18.11% of the 45+ population vaccinated. The availability of the doses in the frontier state was 59,534 as on Sunday.
There is an estimated 40.51 lakh projected mid-year population in Tripura but 14.02 lakh doses have been consumed, accounting for the vaccination of 34.61% of the population of the 45+ category. The vaccine stock in Tripura was 66,000 as per the latest report.
In Manipur, of the 31.49 lakh projected mid-year population, 3,41,979 doses have been administered in this category of population. Less than 10.85% of the population above 45 have got the jabs in Manipur, where 1.50 lakh doses are in stock for the said age group.
Out of 32.72 lakh mid-year population in Meghalaya, 3,57,247 doses have been consumed in the hill state, which accounts for 10.91% of the 45+ population. There are 1.11 lakh vaccine doses in stock in Meghalaya.
In Mizoram, out of 12.10 lakh mid-year population, 2,77,860 doses have been consumed while vaccinating around 22.96% of the population. Nearly 1.96 lakh doses are in stock in Mizoram.
Nagaland has an estimated 21.82 lakh mid-year population of around 45 years, which consumed 2,24,115 doses, accounting for less than 10.27% of the population covered under the vaccination drive. There is a balance of 1.02 lakh doses in Nagaland for the 45+ group.
In Assam, around 35,000 people above 18 years have been vaccinated per day, but the corresponding figure for 45+ group has been around 50,000 because of the second doses. “More priority has been given to the aged and vaccines are available for them. We just need to inoculate them as early as possible,” said an official.
The Indian Medical Association in Assam has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to arrange for immediate import of vaccines and seek international help if local suppliers are failing to meet the vaccine demands.
“Please make the vaccination process simpler. Instead of asking the people to register in the portal (which is a complicated process, often jamming the portal) and creating an infinite wait-list, please engage our health workers to vaccinate people and enter data in the portal for record,” Dr Satyajit Borah, state president, IMA’s Assam state branch, wrote to PM Modi.
“Let us not hold or store the vaccine, it is not a life saving drug to be used in emergency, let us utilize all available stocks speedily in a disciplined way. A single dose of protection can save many lives,” he added.