Even 47 percent of the vaccinated population in Gujarat has been fully vaccinated COVID-19 And about 90 per cent have been covered with the first dose, officials in some districts said, adding that the state government’s estimated target population is different than theirs, resulting in relatively low vaccination coverage being reported by the state from these districts. .
Three such districts are Gandhinagar, Botad and Surendanagar where almost all villages are covered with the first dose of vaccine and yet the overall first dose coverage is lower than other districts, which are in the bottom five out of 33 total. district and eight municipal corporations.
Districts such as Dang, despite having the lowest estimated vaccine-eligible population in the state (1.91 lakh), according to state data, are among the districts with the lowest coverage in terms of first dose (78.6 percent), and only 311 villages in total. 65 of them managed to cover the entire population with the first dose.
While a state health official explained that the low percentage coverage of the first dose in the overall district is due to low coverage in municipal areas, although almost all villages in such districts are covered, a district official had a different view.
In the case of Gandhinagar, as District Collector Kuldeep Arya explained, “The health department has estimated population data based on the voter list (10.42 lakh) as of January 15 this year. However, we later conducted a house-to-house survey, where we looked at the factors for in-migration and out-migration. In view of these, our estimated population is around 8.47 lakhs, in which we have covered 95 per cent of the population with the first dose. We have also requested the state government to revise the estimated population target.”
Some other backward districts include Mehsana, Anand, Chhota Udaipur and Amreli, when the first dose of coverage, according to state data, is between 70 and 79 percent of the estimated population, according to data provided by the state health department. The matter comes. .
However, according to Mehsana District Collector Udit Agarwal and Chief District Health Officer Vishnu Patel, the target estimated population is “not accurate” and the district has already covered 90 per cent of its population before the first dose.
As Patel explains, “We conducted door-to-door surveys and as of last week, the district has an estimated population of 15.22 lakh (as against 17.68 lakh in the state health department’s database). The state health department has also been apprised of this and discussions are on to revise the target estimated population. It is an act of migration, where we see more people migrating from Mehsana.”
Besides migration, one factor in the revised estimated population is, as one district official said, a factor in deaths as well. “Gandhinagar, for example, recorded 23,000 deaths — Covid-19 and otherwise — since the last voter list was published,” said a Gandhinagar district official.
Dang district collector and district development officer could not be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, Tapi, another tribal district in the state, is the first among the tribal districts to achieve 100 per cent first dose coverage about a week ago, according to District Collector Harjibhai Wadhwania. According to state data, an additional 7,200 persons in the district have actually taken the first dose compared to the estimated population.
This, Wadhawaniya is responsible for cross-border movement. “Tapi is a border district adjoining Maharashtra, from where we will see people coming for food. We saw people from adjoining Surat taluka traveling to Tapi in the initial days to take the first dose to skip the queue in our jurisdiction,” Wadhwania said.
With 45 lakh doses currently in stock, state immunization officer Nayan Jani says this is a “pump” for the state, noting that the state is currently administering three lakh odd doses a day, each The second dose is being administered more than the day before. first dose. Jani said that given that about 90 per cent of the first dose is covered among the vaccine-eligible population in the state, the last mile is going to be a slow burn.
“This is a common pattern. We are not going to administer a large number of doses (like we did on September 17 when over 19 lakh doses were administered in a single day as part of a mega vaccination campaign in the state) This is because the first dose has been covered by 90 percent of the population and major dose takers will now be eligible for a second dose depending on the interval from the date of the person’s first dose and the vaccine they have taken.
Meanwhile, as India crossed the 100 crore mark of administered Covid-19 vaccine doses on Thursday, Gujarat’s share stood at 6.80 crore doses including 2.37 crore second doses. The achievement was made to overcome vaccine hesitation through government-provided concessions, intensive campaigns, or easing the process with a vaccine at the doorstep, like the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).
Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel said in a press briefing on Thursday that three of the eight municipal corporation areas – Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC), Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) and Junagadh Municipal Corporation (JUMC) – and four of the 33 districts – Ahmedabad, Tapi, Junagadh and Mahisagar – covered 100 percent or more of the estimated population in these jurisdictions with the first dose. The first dose has also covered 100% of the vaccine-eligible population of 15,436 villages (out of a total of 18,215 villages) in the state.
Meanwhile, celebrating the milestone of crossing 100 crore vaccine doses in the country, Indigo Sewage Pvt Ltd under its Ropax ferry brand “DG C Connect” announced that it will launch Ropax from Bhavnagar to 4th November. Will provide 100 free motorbike bookings on the ferry. Hazira in South Gujarat.
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