Maharashtra: Half of kids in 12-17 group did not take second Covid jab

Pune: As many as 50% of beneficiaries in the 12-17 age group who had taken the first shot of a Covid vaccine in the state did not opt for the second dose. Experts have blamed the poor response to a drop in Covid-19 cases and parents’ resultant casual attitudes.

The response is particularly poor in districts such as Pune, Thane and Mumbai.

Around 54% of children in the 12-14 age group and 50% in the 15-17 age group did not opt for the second dose, according to the state health services data.

In the 12-14 age group, where the total number of beneficiaries in the state is 39 lakh, only 28 lakh have received their first dose. Of this, only 18 lakh got their second dose of the vaccine.

In the 15-17 age category, there are around 60 lakh beneficiaries in the state. Of this, 40 lakh received the first vaccine shot, while 30 lakh got both doses.

State health services officials said that despite the availability of vaccines, the overall casual approach from parents towards vaccination has resulted in the poor show.

Sanjay Patil, chairman, Indian Medical Association’s hospital board of India, Pune chapter, said it was time to decide on the future of Covid vaccination, especially as the overall trend of inoculations was going down.

The overall daily vaccination drive has seen a dip in coverage recently, especially during the festive season. During Diwali festivities, vaccinations dropped below 10,000 doses per day. On Sunday, less than 500 doses were administered in Maharashtra.

According to data on Cowin, fewer than 30,000 beneficiaries have received their Covid doses in the past week. The previous week, around 19,000 doses had been administered.

Besides the drop in Covid cases and the casual approach towards vaccination, state health officials also blame the unavailability of free doses for the reduction in footfall at inoculation centres.

It is especially worrying as health officials recently warned that some 20 lakh Covaxin doses may go to waste in the state if Covid-19 vaccine coverage is not accelerated.

So far, state vaccinators have administered 9 crore first shots and over 7.6 crore second doses. They have also given out more than 93 lakh booster shots.