Only 12% in 12-14 age group fully vaccinated in Haryana

GURUGRAM: Only 12% of minors in the 12-14 age group in Haryana are fully vaccinated with both doses of Corbevax. First doses are lagging too, with just 40% taking their shot.

Vaccinations for the 12-14 age group started on March 16. A total of 10,11,060 in this age group are eligible for jabs. Gurugram has the maximum eligible minors in this category (94,948). It has so far inoculated 65% with first doses and 26% are fully vaccinated in the district.
According to officials from the health department, vaccinations for this group didn’t gain pace when the drive was launched two months ago as examinations were under way at that time and parents were hesitant to get their children inoculated over possible side effects. This has contributed to the low turnout and the inoculation numbers are likely to rise soon as the summer vacations begin, officials said.
Meanwhile, Gurugram is pushing to increase vaccination coverage in the 12-14 group. It has given 62,140 first doses and 24,817 second doses so far in this category. “In Gurugram, every fourth teen in our targeted population is fully vaccinated. During summer break, we will set up camps in community centres and school premises. We have extended coverage of the ongoing door-to-door vaccination to this age group as well. At present, we are setting up inoculation camps in various schools,” chief medical officer Dr Virender Yadav said.
Asked why the number of fully vaccinated recipients is low in this category, Yadav said, “When the vaccination drive started, very few children came forward for jabs. As a result, few people became eligible for the second dose after April 14, which is 28 days after March 16, when the drive was rolled out.”
Vaccine coverage is calculated as an official target estimate based on population projections. The second district with the maximum eligible kids in this particular group is Faridabad (80,149). It has given jabs to 53,617 till now (67% coverage) and 13,580 second doses (17%). Charkhi Dadri has the lowest eligible population (19,133) and has given first doses to 10,835 (57%) and second doses to 5,727 (29%).
Other than these districts, Panchkula has the highest first dose coverage in the 12-14 category at 68%, followed by Faridabad, Gurugram, Karnal (64%) Rewari (53%), Kurukshetra (52%), Ambala (47%), Panipat (45%) Yamunanagar (42%), Kaithal (37%), Mahendergarh (34%), Jhajjar (30%) and Rohtak (30%). At just 3%, Nuh has the lowest first dose coverage in the state, followed by Jind (18%), Fatehabad (19%), Hisar (20%), Sirsa (25%), Bhiwani (26%) and Sonipat (27%).
In terms of second dose coverage, Charkhi Dadri is at the top of the chart, followed by Gurugram, Karnal (22%), Rewari (18%), Faridabad (17%), Ambala (14%), Rohtak (12%), Panchkula (11%), Palwal (11%), Kurukshetra (10%), Panipat (10%), Yamunanagar (10%) and Kaithal (10%). Nuh, which has given zero second doses, is at the bottom of the chart, followed by Hisar (3%), Jind (3%), Fatehabad (4%), Sirsa (5%), Sonipat (6%), Mahendergarh (7%), Bhiwani (9%) and Jhajjar (9%).
Health department officials said they are concentrating on inoculating children and monitoring pockets witnessing slow vaccination. “Covid vaccination data is monitored daily. As vaccination was slow in the initial days because of the festive season, pace of second dose vaccinations has remained sluggish, but all districts are encouraging and motivating people to get their children inoculated at the earliest. Also, we can’t force anyone to take the vaccine now,” state immunisation officer Dr Virender Ahlawat said, referring to an earlier state order that made it mandatory for all to take both vaccine doses to gain entry into public places like restaurants, banks, malls and offices. The government later lifted the restriction after a decline in Covid cases.