Indore (Madhya Pradesh): While the administration has been preparing to commence the drive to vaccinate kids aged 12-14 years from March 23, officials have failed to complete the first dose of vaccination of teenagers aged 15-17 years even after two and a half months.
As many as 1.57 lakh teenagers of the eligible age group have taken the first dose out of a target of over 1.94 lakh doses which is only 81 per cent of the total target. Moreover, the claim of achieving the second dose target for teenagers also proved a gimmick as the administration could inoculate only 67 per cent of the 81 per cent teenagers who have taken the first dose of the vaccine.
“We’re doing all we can to search for the remaining beneficiaries of the first dose of vaccine. We’ve increased the number of mobile phones, taking help from NGOs and teachers to search for the remaining teenagers who should take the dose,” the immunisation officer said.
The responsibility of mobilising the remaining teenagers was given to the principals of schools, while mobile vaccination vans have also been provided to reach the student’s homes to inoculate them.
According to officials, most of the teenagers in schools falling in the age group are being vaccinated and only those remain who are sick or could not come to school due to some other reason. “We’re mapping the schools and also trying to mobilise children through coaching centres and dropouts,” officials said.
Slow pace of vaccination continues
The slow pace of vaccination continued in the city as only a few people were vaccinated throughout the day on Monday. However, officials said that the current festivities are one of the reasons behind this and they believe that the number will increase after the festivities, while the government has also decreased the gap between two doses of Covishield
