50% of Assam's adult popn yet to be given vaccines

GUWAHATI/SHILLONG: Erratic supply of vaccines has slowed down the pace of immunisation to the extent that if the third wave were to hit the state in August, about 50% of Assam's adult population would be vulnerable as they have not been fully vaccinated.
Amid third wave concerns, the Meghalaya government upped its vaccination drive by roping in community and religious leaders in the hill state to overcome hesitancy. Tripura is in a better position because it has the highest vaccination record of its targeted population. Assam being the gateway to the northeast, the shortage of vaccines has become a matter of concern.
Statistics furnished by the immunization office in Assam showed 87.58 lakh people have been vaccinated. By Saturday evening, a total of 72.32 lakh of the 2.37 crore 18+ population got the first shot. This accounts for 31% of the eligible population. On the other hand, only 15.26 lakh beneficiaries have received the second shot.
"If 30 lakh people can be vaccinated per month, it will take five more months to vaccinate the entire 2.37 lakh population with the first dose. Five months is a long time considering the imminent threat," a senior health department official told TOI on Saturday.
Nevertheless, the silver lining is improvement in vaccine supply in the last one week. A total 1.1 lakh people were vaccinated on Saturday and in the last seven days 8.77 lakh got inoculated. "This month, Assam may cross the one crore vaccination target. Considering the vaccine shortage even a few days ago, one lakh vaccination per day is a good number now," said vaccination spokesperson Munindra Nath Ngatey.
In Meghalaya, chief minister Conrad K Sangma, who had flagged the shortage as a 'big concern' for the state during the video-meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has urged all eligible citizens to take the vaccine even as the state government has been strengthening and upgrading health infrastructure to deal with a possible third wave.
"A number of localities in Shillong City have undertaken detailed surveys to determine the exact vaccination coverage in their locality, so that no one is missed out. Such surveys through door-to-door visits and telephone enquiries for each category (18+, 45+) have been done," informed Isawanda Laloo, DC of East Khasi Hills, the district most hit by Covid-19 in the state.
"For refusal cases, reasons for refusal have been noted and more sensitization will be done in collaboration with medical officers in order to address concerns about the vaccines," the DC said. Meanwhile, all DCs and SDOs (civil) in the state have been authorized to impose containment measures in their respective districts and sub-divisions based on need.
Amid continuation of weekend curfew across Tripura on Saturdays and Sundays for the second week and the extension in Covid curfew in 13 urban areas till July 24, there was a marginal decline in the number of fresh infections in the last three days. According to reports, as many as 430 people were found positive in the last 24 hours on Saturday in Tripura. The latest positivity rate has dropped to 3.88% in Tripura, though it's considerably higher than the 1.29% positivity rate in Assam.
The Tripura government has been successful in administering vaccines to over 21.38 lakh people so far out of the estimated 26.24 lakh eligible population. Over 6.90 lakh of the total vaccinated people have also received the second shot.
In order to contain the spread of the infection due to the flouting of Covid-19 norms, the Tripura government is continuing with its mass enforcement drive against not wearing or improper wearing of face masks and gatherings of people in all urban areas for five days.
People with improper mask or no mask have been taken for Covid test and sent for three days' compulsory isolation along with other members of the family, said a senior officer of the civil administration. "This action is yielding good results in making people follow Covid- appropriate behaviour at all levels," said the officer.