M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, June 7: The Jharkhand government, which is seized with the imminent problem of Covid vaccines going to expire soon, has adopted Covid Teeka Maha Abhiyan phase 2 from June 1 which will last till July 31.
The campaign was resumed following a video conferencing with the Centre on May 20 which asked the states and union territories to ensure that no Covid vaccine expires in lack of utilisation.
Incidentally, a huge stock of doses of the Covid vaccines in Palamu would expire July 30 if not utilised.
The community health centre at Bishrampur has 3,170 doses of the Covishield vaccine and all have their expiry date as of 30.7.2022.
There are 1,800 doses of the Covishield vaccine in Palamu’s Hussainabad which has its expiry on 30.7.2022.
Similarly, at the urban health centre, there are 520 doses of the Covishield whose expiry is on the same date.
Chattarpur has 1,700 doses of the Covishield and it also faces an expiry date on the same July 30.
There is not a single community health centre in Palamu, 10 of them, where the expiry threat of the Covid vaccines does not lurk. Paton community health centre has 600 doses of the vaccine having two dates for expiry depending on the different batch numbers but both fall in July.
Manatu community health centre has 670 doses of the Covid vaccines having a similar issue of expiry on July 30.
Alarmed by the high number of vaccines facing the threat of getting expired by July 30, the Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Arun Kumar Singh has sent letters to the DCs of all the 24 districts in Jharkhand to make Covid Teeka Maha Abhiyan phase 2 a success.
The phase 2 of this Covid vaccination campaign involves ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ again.
The phase 1 of the Covid Teeka Maha Abhiyan in Jharkhand was carried out between December 16, 2021, and January 15, 2022, and was a tremendous success.
The Jharkhand government aims at recapturing the same response to the Covid vaccination in phase 2 of this campaign.
The ACS Health Arun Kumar Singh has tried to boost the morale of his health personnel to gain good results in phase 2 of this Maha Abhiyan. He has asked that the highest priority should be given to this campaign.
He has sent a copy of the Covid Teeka Maha Abhiyan phase 2 letter to the Mission Director of National Health Mission Jharkhand, Director in Chief Health Services Jharkhand, WHO surveillance medical officers, UNICEF, Civil Surgeons and other personnel.
According to sources, the situation of Covid vaccines nearing expiry arose following the lackadaisical attitude of the eligibles towards the Covid vaccination.
Palamu has a target for precaution dose of the Covid vaccines for 1,91,000 people who are 60 years and above, according to district epidemiologist Dr Anup Kumar Singh.
However, only 3 percent of eligibles of this target have taken their precaution dose.
“Had these eligible elderly people taken their third dose on time, there would not have been so doses of the Covishield and Covaxin in the cold chain point facing expiry,” said the Palamu civil surgeon Dr Anil Kumar.
“We have been motivating the eligible elders to have their precaution dose but in vain,” the CS said.
It is not only Palamu that has achieved only 3 percent of the Covid vaccination of eligible elderly people who are 60 years and above. The figure for the state is also just a little over 4 percent.
Now, all eyes are on the Covid Maha Teeka Abhiyan phase 2 to know whether it will help achieve a respectable response.
Covid is not over
Eligibles are enormously apathetic towards vaccination now. The public perception is that Coronavirus is gone which is the most dangerous thing to have in mind.
People have not shown any interest in the vaccination of their tenders as then the percentage of the vaccination of the tenders is depressing in Palamu.
Palamu has achieved 64 percent of the vaccination of the children in the age group of 12 to 14 years. They were given Corbevax.
The vaccination percentage (Covaxin) for the age group of 15-17 is 71 percent only.
Incidentally, the doses of the vaccine which have a very near expiry date are of the Covishield only said sources.
WHO surveillance medical officer Dr Mirtunjay Singh said, “We have been asking people and our health officials to again get into this phase 2 of the Covid Teeka Maha Abhiyan with all heart and mind.”
He agreed the task is challenging more as people are averse to taking the Covid vaccines but it should not to called not achievable.
Dr Mirtunjay Singh expressing hope said, “We all will get on the task to save our every single dose of the Covid vaccines from being expired.”
