No vaccination for 45+, but 5,200 above 18 inoculated in Jalandhar

Huge rush at Red Cross Bhawan; doors shut at Civil Hospital

Amid the shortage of vaccine in the district, a huge rush of patients was witnessed at Red Cross Bhawan in Jalandhar on Monday.

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 17

While the health authorities kept the vaccination centres for those falling in the 45+ age category shut on Monday, the centres for vaccination for the 18-44 age group remained open.

Since the centre at the Civil Hospital caters to the 45+ category, it remained closed today due to no supply of vaccination being sent by the Centre for the past many days. The centres like Red Cross Bhawan, IMA House and those set up at the Punjab Armed Police and Radha Soami Satsang Beas centres at Pathankot Chowk, Jail Chowk, Cantt Road and 120-feet road, PHCs and CHCs of Nakodar and Shahkot, which were set up for the 18-44 age category, witnessed a rush of beneficiaries. Nearly 5,200 beneficiaries below 45 were vaccinated.

Vaccination centre at the Civil Hospital lies closed. Tribune photos

District Immunology Officer Dr Rakesh Chopra said, “As per the government orders, the priority groups, which are to be given vaccination, include construction workers (both registered and unregistered), healthcare workers and their families and people with co-morbidities in the 18-44 age group. Though we have not started vaccination for everyone falling in this category, but we cannot be sure for each and every case.”

Dr Chopra said the vaccination for the 45+ age group would be resumed only after supplies from the Centre would be sent. “We expect the supply will resume soon. We are vaccinating beneficiaries in the 18-44 age group from the stock available with the state,” he added.

Vax camp for PwDs today

The state Health Department is going to organise a vaccination camp for persons with disabilities (PwDs) in all districts. Nearly 150 beneficiaries would be administered Covishield vaccine on Tuesday. Amarjit Anand, the disability rights activists, had sent a proposal to the Health Department regarding a seperate vaccination camp for differently abled.

After receiving approval for the same he said, “He had appealed to the concerned department that PwDs are more vulnerable to any disease and hence immediate attention needs to be paid for their vaccination. While they cannot stand in long queues with other beneficiaries at the Civil Hospital and other health centres, seperate camps needed to be organised for them where they would have enough sitting arrangement, drinking water, toilets and sanitised rooms, therefore seperate vaccination camps would help them getting vaccinated without any difficulty”.