The Additional Municipal Commissioner Ram Joshi appears over-confident while saying that entire Nagpur city population will be vaccinated in a couple of months.
The pace with which the vaccination drive is being carried out, it appears an impossible task. In the last seven months even half of the population has not been immunised. The official figures of vaccination of 14,43,978 indicates that the residents of Nagpur may have to wait for several months to get fully vaccinated.
Frequent breaks in availability of vaccine doses, particularly Covishield and very small quantity of Covaxin available at a very few centres, maybe the cause. The blame is being shifted to the Union Government for not maintaining a smooth supply of vaccine doses. But the claim of completing immunisation in a couple of months appears difficult to believe.
Nagpur Municipal Corporation is working on the mission dedicatedly. But reality cannot be ignored. With population of around 30 lakhs, vaccination of 14.44 lakhs is less than 50%. That too has been achieved in a period of seven months. It appears difficult to vaccinate the rest.
Covid19 vaccination began in Nagpur on January 16 this year. Since then only 14.43 lakh has been vaccinated. Out of the total 14.44 lakh only 4,19,337 have been administered second dose of either Covishield or Covaxin. The basic requirement for complete immunity two doses are said to be necessary. Thus, it can be stated that only 4.19 lakh persons have been completely immunised.
The balance 10,24,641 have been administered with first dose of Vaccine. This includes 4,23,950 in 19-44 age group, 2,03,774 in 45 plus age category and 92,070 in 45 plus with comorbidity categopry; In the 60 plus age group 2,03,760 have been vaccinated with first dose of vaccine.
The number of persons who have received second dose are — in 18+ age –35,802; 45+ age category 1,56,755; 45+ with comorbidity 30873 and in 60+ age group 134045.
