Thirty-one local bodies in Ernakulam are yet to achieve the 85% coverage in the administration of the second dose to the target population, according to the Health Department.
This included 30 panchayats and one municipality (Thrikkakara). The target population in Ernakulam is around 29 lakh. The overall figure in administering the second dose in the district as on Monday is around 86%. “We hope to achieve the 90% mark by the end of this month. The thirty-one local bodies have been told to step up efforts to cross the 85% mark at the earliest,” said M.G. Sivadas, District Nodal Officer for vaccination.
As per the official estimates, around 78% of the target population had received the second dose by the last week of November. The corresponding figure in the second week of November was 66%. The district authorities had set December 31 as the deadline for covering 90% of the target population.
An intensive campaign was held from December 18 to 20 in the local bodies that had not achieved the 85% coverage. Around 15,000 to 20,000 persons had received the second dose on these three days. However, the figure was not as expected on Monday as only around 8,000 received the second dose.
Dr. Sivadas said that the local bodies need to hold special camps and utilise its network to encourage more people to receive the second dose. “The focus is mostly on these panchayats now and the aim is to reach at least 90% before December 31 in these regions,” he said.
Around 86% of the target population in Kochi Corporation limits had received the second dose. However, five wards under the urban primary health centres need to improve the coverage by coming up with special camps and initiatives, according to the Health Department. The district authorities said that it would not be possible to achieve the 100% target, as people who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 after receiving the first dose will miss their schedule for the second dose. The vaccine is provided after three months of testing positive.
