62% of Goa’s eligible population has got 1st dose, 15% of them both, says epidemiologist Dr Rajendra Borkar

PANAJI: With an average of 20,000 persons receiving the Covid-19 vaccine every day, the state has already administered the first dose to 62% of its 18+ population, said epidemiologist Dr Rajendra Borkar.
Goa has an eligible population of around 11 lakh persons, of which the 62% have received the first dose. “Fifteen percent of them have been fully vaccinated, the response is very good,” he told TOI.
The state plans on covering its entire eligible population with the first dose by July 31, he said.
The government has enough vaccination centres, and doesn’t plan on adding more. “Ours is not a large population. We already have 46 permanent vaccination centres and 198 satellite centres up to the last point. The centres have enough capacity to vaccinate the people,” he said.
“We just need people to come, and elected representatives to bring people out,” he said.
“If we find that there are 50-100 persons in a very remote area, we will go and vaccinate them,” he said.
Vaccine hesitancy is also being tackled. “We are constantly in touch with religious leaders and opinion makers, trying to convince people to take the vaccine. There’s nothing to be afraid of. Around 32 crore doses have been administered across the country. This should be enough to convince people. It is not a small number and they are doing well. There’s no reason to worry,” he said.
During the second wave, a majority of the Covid-19 deaths were unvaccinated. “We found that the severity of the infection in those who were vaccinated with both doses was very low, hospitalisation was also low, and deaths were minimal. This is not just in Goa, but all over India and the world. This has been proved with data,” he said.
Vaccination of old-age homes is being conducted by the respective health centres, he said.
The issue of door-to-door vaccination for senior citizens or persons with disabilities who are unable to access vaccination centres was raised in the high court when it was hearing a PIL on Covid and preparation for the third wave. The advocate general assured the court that it will see how the issue could be addressed, and will respond before the next hearing on July 12.
The high court has directed state authorities to make all-out efforts and ensure that most of the population is vaccinated as early as possible.