More than 20 lakh vaccine doses administered in dist

Coimbatore: The district achieved a significant milestone in Covid-19 vaccination on Wednesday, when the total doses that it administered crossed the 20 lakh-mark.
According to a public health official, the district has inoculated 16,26,901 people with the first dose of vaccine and another 3,83,305 with the second dose.
The official said they had administered 20,10,206 doses of vaccine in the district till date. On an average, health officials have vaccinated 10,000-12,000 people a day. In the recent past, there were days when they inoculated 30,000 people daily.
While the vaccination drive started in mid-January for the frontline workers, it was extended to the people aged above 45 years after a few weeks. However, there were apprehensions among the health staff about getting inoculated.
The situation changed in the district soon, with people waiting in long queues overnight in front of vaccination camps to take the jab.
More than the awareness drives by the state and central governments on vaccination, the official said, it was the second wave and the mortality rate that pushed the demand for vaccines up.
P Aruna, deputy director of health services, confirmed that there was an unusual demand after the initial hesitancy to take the shot. “The supply couldn’t match the demand, forcing people to wait in long queues to get inoculated. We have, however, managed to streamline the vaccination drive in the recent weeks.”
She said vaccinating the majority population would help reduce Covid-19 cases and prevent health complications to a large extent, even if one gets infected.
Asked about the widening gap between those vaccinated with the first dose and those with both the doses, she said exclusive camps for administering the second hadn’t evoked much response. “People who are due to take the second dose haven’t turned up at the camps. We are discussing the possibility of calling them up to remind them to visit any nearby vaccination centres to take the second dose.”