Cover priority groups

At least 20 doctors are dying every day in the country due to Covid-19 during the second wave, according to the Indian Medical Association. This alarming fact underlines the vulnerability of healthcare workers who are risking their lives daily in the line of duty. This priority group was the first to get the jab when the vaccination programme was rolled out in mid-January. However, universal coverage of this high-risk category continues to be a bridge too far in several states. In Punjab, for instance, about 28 per cent of the healthcare workers have not even received the first dose. Unprotected against the virus, they are more prone to contracting the infection and thus becoming a liability rather than an asset to the authorities which need all hands on deck to handle the unprecedented emergency.

Right from the outset, Punjab has been struggling to address vaccine hesitancy among health personnel. Despite the government’s repeated warnings, some doctors and other medical professionals have stayed away from the inoculation drive. Their reluctance to take the shot has rubbed off on the masses. Ensuring their compliance through a carrot-and-stick approach is a must to give a fillip to overall vaccination.

The inoculation drive has also been impacted by the digital divide. Though walk-in vaccination is now underway for adults in the below-45 category, there is no denying that preference is being given to those who have booked online appointments. It’s disturbing to know that over 90 per cent of the slots for vaccination (18-44 age group) in the remote Dodra-Kwar area of Shimla district have been booked by outsiders as the locals are hampered by lack of Internet connectivity. A similar problem cropped up in Lahaul and Spiti last week as tourists from Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan grabbed half of the slots meant for residents of the tribal district. Such irregularities are worsening the situation at a time when vaccine supplies are already running low. The authorities must remove the bottlenecks so as to save as many lives as possible.

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