Chandigarh vaccination rate dips, experts cite rising cases

Tribune News Service

Naina Mishra

Chandigarh, January 21

After administering a record one lakh doses in the first week of January, the city has again started witnessing a decline in the vaccination numbers with a drop of 70 per cent this week.

The decline is being attributed to city residents acquiring the infection in the ongoing third wave that has deferred their vaccination by three months. The third wave of Covid-19 started in the last week of December and Chandigarh has already recorded 17,840 Covid cases this month.

Vaccination deferred by 3 months

A lot of people have been infected in the third wave and their vaccination has been deferred by three months now. Besides, some people are apprehensive of going to vaccination facilities fearing they would catch the infection there. Dr Suman Singh, DHS, UT

The week ending January 21 saw only 31,968 doses administered to beneficiaries, whereas the preceding week had seen 77,826 doses being given to the eligible population.

Dr Suman Singh, Director, Health Services, Chandigarh, said, “A lot of people have been infected in the third wave and their vaccination has been deferred by three months now. Besides, some people are apprehensive of going to vaccination facilities when the city is already reeling under the third wave fuelled by the highly infectious Omicron. They are scared that they might get infected in these facilities.”

43% deaths of unvaccinated

As many as 16 patients lost their lives to Covid-19 in the UT, of which seven deaths were of patients who were unvaccinated.

Yashpal Garg, UT Health Secretary, said, “Though we have vaccinated more than 99 per cent of the target population (18 years plus) with the second dose, many Covid deaths were of unvaccinated persons. The ratio of deaths of unvaccinated persons should have been nominal because most of the persons have been vaccinated. The higher ratio of deaths of unvaccinated persons clearly indicates that the fatality rate of unvaccinated persons is comparatively high than that of the vaccinated.”

“We are making all-out efforts to increase the pace of vaccination and there is a need for analysing each death of the unvaccinated in Chandigarh. We are going to talk to the family members of the deceased and find out the reasons behind the unvaccinated status of the deceased,” said Garg.

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