Maharashtra: Give priority to second dose to finish vaccination, says Ajit Pawar

PUNE: Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Friday directed the district health authorities to speed up the Covid vaccination process and give priority to administering the second dose to ensure that more people were completely vaccinated.
“I have directed the administration to focus on completing the second dose and then focus on those seeking their first jab,” Ajit Pawar told reporters after the weekly Covid-19 review meeting of the district.
About 70 lakh people have vaccinated in the district so far.
Ajit Pawar said the district administration had approached the private hospitals having some vaccine doses, which would expire soon. He said they had expressed their interest in sharing the doses with the government, which would be replenished once fresh stock arrived.
The deputy chief minister also said the divisional commissioner had spoken to the Serum Institute of India (SII) authorities for some additional supplies for Pune. “They said they would be considering the request despite being under tremendous pressure of supplying vaccines to the entire country,” he said, adding that the extra doses from SII would be used in the slum areas in the city.
He said the state would also follow up with Bharat Biotech, which would conduct the pilot run of manufacturing vaccine at its Pune unit in the end of September or October. “Whenever it is ready for inauguration, the state would put forth its demand for more supplies,” he told TOI.
‘Booster shot only after entire population vaxxed’
Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said the state government was positive about the booster dose of Covid vaccine, but the priority right now was to complete vaccinating people with two doses.
Reacting to SII chairman Cyrus Poonawalla’s emphasis on the booster dose recently, Ajit Pawar said it would be discussed once the vaccination of the 18 and above was completed. As it was done earlier, a decision would be taken on who would get the booster dose on priority, he added.
Existing relaxations to continue
The existing relaxations would continue in the district this week as it registered less than 5% weekly positivity rate (WPR).
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) areas registered 2.5% WPR, the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) limits recorded 3.2% and the Pune rural areas registered 3.9% WPR.
The deputy chief minister, Ajit Pawar, said the district was gearing up to ensure adequate infrastructure, especially an oxygen plant in every taluka, to ensure that there was no shortage of oxygen supply in case there was a third wave