Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 17

It has been a long wait for the second dose for those who have already received their first Covid vaccine in the district. Reason: acute shortage of vaccine doses.

In Jalandhar, as many as 5,000 to 10,000 people wait for their second jab daily. Even as an acute vaccine shortage and uncertainty over the future supply drives a population which has received the first jab more to the edge every day. Health officials are hounded with dozens of calls daily with people eager to get their next dose.

While the district claims of having vaccinated 41.54 per cent of its population until July 15, there is a huge gap between the first and second doses in the district. Of the over 9 lakh people vaccinated until now, merely 1,75,000 people have received their second dose. Of the 9,11,361 people who had been vaccinated in the district until Friday, the first dose has been administered to over 7,36,361 people, a majority of whom (those vaccinated 84 days ago) now await their second jab.

However, with vaccine supply arriving after days of wait and being rapidly exhausted, the number of people due for the second jab is piling up dramatically daily. Health Department estimates state that daily as many as 5,000 to 10,000 people await their second jab.

After several days of wait for vaccine stock, the district carried out vaccinations of 15,000 people on Friday across 110 session sites. The 15,000 vaccines received by the Health Department were rapidly consumed in a single day.

The department was left with merely about 2,000 vaccines today which have been administered. At present, the department is left with just 100 vaccines.

District Information Officer Dr Rakesh Chopra said, “About 5,000 to 10,000 people are getting due for their second Covid dose. With the previous backlog yet to be cleared, there is a long queue of those yet to the vaccinated. We can only vaccinate as many as people as the supply allows. The demand is so much that new delivery is being exhausted in a day. We are getting repatedly calls by anxious people. Yesterday we vaccinated 15,000 people, today about 2,000 were vaccinated. Now we are left with very few doses. We hope the next supply will arrive soon.”

150 jabbed at camp

A vaccination camp was organised near the Lamma Pind Chowk by the Samaj Sewak and Jal Kalyan Social Welfare Society today. President of the society Kirti Kalyan said around 150 doses of Covidshield were administered to beneficiaries at the camp. Area MLA Bawa Henry and ward No. 6 Councillor Nirmal Singh Nimma inaugurated the camp. The organisers said more such camps would be organised soon.

17 test positive, no death reported in Jalandhar district

Jalandhar: The district on Saturday reported 17 new cases of Covid-19, taking the total to 62,992 cases. Of these, two cases were from other districts. However, no Covid death was reported today in the district. The tally of deceased persons remains at 1,487. As many as 61,383 people have recovered from Covid-19 in the district while the number of active cases in Jalandhar is 122. 3 cases, no death in Kap Three persons reportedly tested positive, taking the total number of positive cases to 17,711 in Kapurthala. There was no death in Kapurthala today. TNS

Nawanshahr reports 1 death, 1 case

The district health authorities reported just one case of the coronavirus infection. A patient from the district also succumbed to the virus on Saturday. The tally of positive cases is 11,424 whereas 367 persons have lost their lives so far. The district only 10 active cases as of now. TNS

Hoshiarpur reports 1 death, 6 +ve cases

A person succumbed to the virus at the Civil Hospital on Saturday, taking the toll to 973. As many as six persons also tested positive for Covid in Hoshiarpur district on Saturday, taking the tally to 30,585 cases. The 32-year-old deceased was a resident of Sham Chaurasi. Now, there are 42 active cases in the district and 29,570 persons have recovered so far. OC