M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Nov. 25: A huge stagnancy in taking the second dose of the Covid vaccine is being seen in the Palamu district. The gap between the first dose vaccine takers and the ones to receive the second dose continues to widen here.
Civil surgeon (CS) Dr. Anil Kumar said today, “There are 200,000 (2 lakh) first vaccine dose takers who despite their lock-in period getting over long have refused to take their second dose.”
The CS said these two lakh have long crossed their lock-in period and vanished at the time for their second dose. They are just spoiling their own health by not taking the second dose.
The lock-in period for the second dose comes in two slabs. It is 84 days when the first dose of the vaccine is covishield. For covaxin, it is 28 days after the first dose.
Since January 16, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the vaccination drive in India, Palamu has so far administered 8,48,551 first doses and 4,52,337 second doses of vaccines.
Dr. Kumar said the gap between the first and second dose beneficiaries comes to 3, 96,178.
Out of these 3,96,178 beneficiaries, 2 lakh people have been bunking their second dose while the remaining 1,96,178 first dose vaccine takers wait for their respective lock-in period to be over.
The CS during his one vaccine errand confronted some eligibles who almost snubbed him as they took him to be any staff of the hospital, saying why he is asking them to take the vaccine without any freebies.
“They openly asked for government schemes that can give them money etc and only then they will offer their left deltoid of the arms for the vaccine,” the CS said.
