M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, July 14: The Government of India has announced that free third-dose Covid vaccines will be given to the eligibles in the age group 18 to 59 for 75 days from July 15.
On this, Palamu Civil Surgeon Dr Anil Kumar appealed to all the eligibles of age group 18 to 59 in the district to complete their number of doses to keep Coronavirus at bay.
Dr Anil Kumar said if there are beneficiaries of this age group who have taken their first dose but not the second dose, then they should get their second dose if it is due or even overdue.
“Again if there are beneficiaries who have taken their second dose and their third dose is due or overdue, they should come fast and take the third dose for free at the government hospital or their respective vaccination site,” urged the civil surgeon.
The embargo on the free third dose at the government hospitals or even no facility/permission to buy it at the government hospital had serious fallout when eligibles refused to buy the third dose of vaccine at the private hospitals or nursing homes. This resulted in a major slump in the percentage of the third dose (precaution dose) vaccination.
“It is a great moment for the eligibles of this age group who are dilly-dallying their vaccination. They must get it.” the CS reminded.
Dr Anil Kumar said he has asked his District Epidemiologist Dr Anup Kumar Singh and his teams to go all out for this reprieve and relief given for the third dose for the age group of 18 to 59.
Palamu district epidemiologist Dr Anup Kumar Singh told lagatar24.com today that they have a target of 11,83,675 eligibles in the age group of 18 to 59 here. He said this target swells when migrant workers arrive home. “We have given the first dose of the Covid vaccines to as many as 12,23,910 eligibles,” he said.
He explained that this figure is higher than that of the target because they were successful in giving the first dose of the vaccine to a large number of the migrant workers who were back home in Palamu from workplaces outside Jharkhand.
Only 9,42,716 eligibles in the age group 18 to 59 have till date took their second dose. It comes to 80 percent of the total target.
20 percent of the first dose takers of this age group are yet to take their second dose of the vaccine which if they take now then they will have to wait for 6 months before taking the third dose.
CS Dr Anil Kumar said, “Had these 20 percent eligibles of this age group taken their second dose on getting its due, today in this 75-day slot, they would have been lucky to have free third dose Covid vaccination.”
According to the district epidemiologist, Palamu district has 81,710 doses of Covaxin, 20,890 doses of Covishield and 30,720 doses of Corbevax.
Civil surgeon Dr Anil Kumar said Jharkhand Additional Chief Secretary of Health Arun Kumar Singh and his entire team were in pursuant to have the third dose of vaccine free for the age group of 18 to 59 and now it is announced free.
