VACCINE

 

Salary only after precaution dose: Indore collector to staffers

 Salary only after precaution dose: Indore collector to staffers

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01.02.2022

As many as 1,678 police personnel didn’t get their January salary on the last day of the month. They make up the biggest chunk of those being penalised, followed by 1,486 employees of Indore Municipal Corporation, 1,289 personnel of other forces and 742 health employees. Among the others are 354 revenue staffers, 212 from the MP electricity board, 178 panchayat officials, 46 court staff and even 731 private employees.

The collector has ordered that their salary for January will be released only after they submit a copy of their precaution dose certificate. When the Covid vaccination  drive started, the Indore administration had identified employees of several departments as frontline workers and they were administered the vaccine in the first phase (alongside healthcare workers), the collector reminded on Monday, adding that they are supposed to take their precaution doses as well. Among the departments he listed are zilla panchayat, municipal corporation, police, security forces like BSF, cooperatives, agriculture and horticulture, apart from the health department.

Instructions had been issued to the treasury earlier to release the salaries of these employees only after they receive their due third dose, Singh said. As per official records, the In- dore treasury releases salaries of around 27,000 government employees of 45 departments. On Saturday, treasury officials compiled data on employees who have missed their precaution dose schedule. And at a review meeting on Monday, the health department said 18,831 eligible employees have received the precaution dose, and10,455 employees are yet to.

The collector has ordered that employees of private hospitals, pathology laboratories and diagnostic centres are also required to get their due precaution dose, or else their salary would be stopped by their employers. Action will be taken against private hospitals and labs if there is any neglect on this count.

TNN

75% of adults in India are now fully vaxxed

 75% of adults in India are now fully vaxxed

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Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

31.01.2022

New Delhi: More than 75% of adults in the country are now fully vaccinated against Covid-19 with two doses of the jabs. This marks a major achievement in the mass immunisation drive that played a crucial role in keeping disease severity, hospitalisation and deaths low during the present surge powered by Omicron. PM Modi on Sunday congratulated fellow citizens for this “momentous feat” and said he is proud of all those who are making the vaccination drive a success.

A total of nearly 166 crore doses have been administe- red so far since the beginning of the immunisation drive on January 16, 2021.

7 of  TN’s 24 AEFI cases linked to vax

A Union health ministry report said seven of the 24 reported severe Adverse Events Following Immunisation cases in Tamil Nadu had side-effects related to the Covid vaccine or the immunisation process. Three patients reported side-effects directly linked to the vaccine and four immunisation-related anxiety reaction. P4

P4

More Covaxin doses to be made available next week

 More Covaxin doses to be made available next week

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Piyush.Bhusari@timesgroup.com

28.01.2022

Pune: More Covaxin doses would be made available across the state from the next week because thousands in the 15-18 years’ category would become eligible for its second dose.

CoWIN data revealed that around 30 lakh teenagers had been vaccinated so far in the state. In the Pune district, around 2. 85 lakh teenagers have received their first shot.

State immunisation officer Sachin Desai told TOI, “In the past few days, the government has distributed over18 lakh doses of Covaxin across the state and more doses are likely to come from the Centre next week. There is absolutely no issue over the stock of Covaxin at present and for the second dose from the next week. ”

Sanjay Deshmukh, assistant director, health services, Pune circle, told TOI, “We distributed around 1. 2 lakh doses of Covaxin across Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and rural units in the past few days. ”

Sanjay Patil, the chairman of the Indian Medical Association’s Hospital Board of India, Pune chapter, said, “Amid Omicron variant, we should not forget Delta. It is still there and so are the other variants. Once immunised, it takes at least two weeks for the immunity to develop. Hence, it is very neces-sary to get vaccinated. ”

According to the CoWIN data, a total of 34,357 beneficiaries were vaccinated in the dis- trict till 7pm on Thursday. A total of 1. 65 crore doses of vaccines have been administered in the district so far.

Pimpri Chinchwad areas lead district in precaution jab count

Pune: The PCMC areas are faring better compared to those in Pune civic limits and rural areas on the precaution dose front.

Over 14,000 elderly beneficiaries (out of 44,000 expected) have taken the third shot so far in the PCMC areas. In the Pune civic limits, merely 4,407 beneficiaries have received their third shot. In the rural areas, a total of 5,972 beneficiaries opted for it till now, stated the district health office data.

Pimpri Chinchwad municipal commissioner Rajesh Patil told TOI, “The number of elderly beneficiaries would have been better if we had known their facts and figures. The beneficiaries are scattered now as they can take their jabs in other parts of the district or the state. We are lacking the focused attempt. To streamline this, we are bringing housing societies on board with us.”

Sanjay Deshmukh, assistant director, health services, Pune circle, said the lack of intensity of the third wave resulted in less response to the drive in the past few days. Even the comorbid senior citizens were not turning up at the sites.

Result delay hits govt hosps, many forced to go to pvt labs

 Result delay hits govt hosps, many forced to go to pvt labs

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TIMES NEWS NETWORK

27.01.2022

Hyderabad: Amid an increase in Covid-19 cases, a delay of three to four days in getting RT-PCR test results at government hospitals and urban primary healthcare centres is forcing people to get tested at private labs.

Serpentine queues are being seen at all Basti Dawakhanas, UPHCs, area and district hospitals.

“On a daily basis, there are more than 900 to 1,000 people visiting government ho-spitals. Most of them are showing Covid-19 symptoms and have to undergo tests, increasing the load. Many of our staff members are also down with the infection. However, we are trying to deal with as many cases as we can,” said K Shankar, superintendent of Fever Hospital. Testing at private diagnostic centres costs anywhere between ₹500 to ₹1,500. Due to delayed results, self-testing rapid antigen kits are being preferred by many people.

There is also huge rush for home testing services as several patients are feeling weak.

Covishield, Covaxin dose price may be capped at ₹425 after market nod

 Covishield, Covaxin dose price may be capped at ₹425 after market nod

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27.01.2022

New Delhi: The price of Covishield and Covaxin, the Covid vaccines which are expected to soon get regular market approval from India’s drug regulator, is likely to be capped at ₹275 per dose plus an additional service charge of ₹150, official sources said.

According to them, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has been directed to start working towards capping the  price to make the vaccines affordable.

As of now, Covaxin is priced at ₹ 1,200 per dose while Covishield costs ₹ 780 in private facilities. The prices include ₹150 service charge. Both the vaccines are only authorised for emergency use in the country.

An Subject Expert Committee on Covid-19 of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation on January 19 recommended granting regular market approval to Covid vaccines Covishield and Covaxin for use in the adult population subject to certain conditions.

“The NPPA has been asked to work towards capping the price of the vaccines. The price is likely to be capped at ₹275 per dose along with an additional service charge of ₹150,” an official source said.

PTI

 BOOSTER OR BID TO BLOAT NUMBERS?

Mix-ups over booster doses upset seniors

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Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

23.01.2022

Chennai: Senior citizens from Chennai and its suburbs complain that there are a lot of mix-ups over the booster shots.

T Sadagopan, 62, residing at Avadi, got a message that he had been successfully vaccinated on Friday evening. When Sadagopan logged into the CoWIN portal, he found his vaccine certificate for a precaution dose he didn’t get.

"I have no idea how it was possible without me sharing my mobile number, one time password (OTP) or Aadhaar number. So, when I called up the primary health centre's nurse, she advised me to ignore the SMS and asked me to arrive at the centre in case I wanted to get vaccinated," he said.

Avadi Municipal Commissioner R Saraswathi was unavailable for comment. However, state health secretary J Radhakrishnan said that he will direct the authorities concerned to look into the issue.

M Somasundaram, who got his booster shot at a PHC in Anna Nagaron Thursday, said the Co-WIN portal suggests that two booster doses were administered for his registered mobile number.

"Even if one extra dose was recorded at each of the 5,000 vaccination centres in Chennai, it would give us a wrong projection. When I asked, Greater Chennai Corporation authorities said that they will show the extra dose as wastage," he said.

K Baskar, an activist from Thiruvallur, said the authorities simply cite server issues for such flaws. Such mix-ups were common even when people took their second doses; some took the jab thrice to get their certificates, he said.

Teens don’t need parents’ nod for Covid jabs: Official

Teens don’t need parents’ nod for Covid jabs: Official

Umesh.Isalkar@timesgroup.com

23.01.2022

Pune: Consent from parents — written or oral — is not required for teenage Covid vaccination in the 15-17 age group, state immunization officer Dr Sachin Desai confirmed on Sunday.

“There is a lot of confusion over seeking parents’ consent prior to vaccinating adolescents. But as per the Union government’s norms, parents’ consent is not required,” Dr Desai said. The issue of con- sent had cropped up soon after vaccination for teens was announced on school and college premises.

“Schools are under the impression that they need parents’ written or oral consent before vaccinating their teenage students. But that's not the case,” Dr Desai said, adding that registration on the CoWIN portal before getting the shot is considered consent. “So schools should not compel students to bring consent letters from parents,” he said. The senior of- ficial also said the rule applies not only for vaccination at school or college premises, but at hospital-based vaccine centres too.

Senior paediatrician Dr Pramod Jog, a member of the Covid task force, said, “Although parents’ written consent is not required, it is advisable that the parents accompany the child at the time of taking the Covid shot. This will bolster the confidence of the vaccinator at the vaccination centre. Besides, a parent’s physical presence is great mental support as well. ”

VACCINATION

 

Govt Caps RT-PCR Rate At ₹300, Home Collection At ₹500

 Govt Caps RT-PCR Rate At ₹300, Home Collection At ₹500

Testing At Govt Centres Stays Free

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Sidhartha.Roy@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:The Delhi government on Thursday slashed the maximum price of RT-PCR tests at private laboratories from Rs 500 to Rs 300 and reduced the cap of Rs 700 for home collection and tests to Rs 500. The maximum rate for rapid antigen tests (RAT) at privateen fixed at Rs 100 instead of Rs 300. Tests conducted at government establishments remain free.

Government sources said the decision had been taken to help Delhiites and also increase the number of tests. A further reduction is possible soon, a source added. The order comes into effect immediately and all charges are inclusive of all taxes.

Private laboratories will also collect samples from testing sites as requisitioned by the chief district medical officer or a government hospital, states the order issued by the health department. In case the RT-PCR samples are collected by government teams and picked up from the collection sites by private laboratories as requisitioned by the district authorities, the charges will be Rs 200, and if samples are col- lected by private laboratory teams for government and processed at their labs, the maximum charge will be Rs 300.

The RT-PCR test at Genestrings Diagnostics, which operates the Covid testing labat the Delhi airport, will also cost Rs 300 following the order. “(There is) no (further) change in rapid RT-PCR test price since the re- cent reduction from Rs 3,500 to Rs 2,900,” Genestrings Diagnostics COO Chetan Kohli said.

The government order also states all laboratories will process the samples within 12 hours, with all positive results being updated on the portal of Indian Council of Medical Research within 30 minutes of samples being processed, followed by updation of all negative results within 24 hours of receiving the samples.

The order also directs all laboratories and hospitals to display the revised rates at a prominent place within 24 hours.

The government had capped the maximum price of RT-PCR at Rs 2,400 in June 2020, then slashed it to Rs 800 in November 2020 and further to Rs 500 last August.

 

VACCINE HESITANCY

25-yr-old man with no comorbidities dies, not vaxxed

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Omjasvin.MD@timesgroup.com

16.01.2022

Chennai: A 25-year-old youth who did not have any comorbidities died of Covid-19 at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) on Wednesday (January 12). He did not get vaccinated out of fear, his family said.

Friday’s state health bulletin said Mohammed Karimullah tested positive for the Delta variant on December 26 and was admitted to RGGGH the next day. He died of Covid-19 pneumonia after battling for life in the ICU for nearly 20 days.

Dr D Sudharakan, head , critical care, RGGGH, said the patient did not have any comorbidities such as diabetes or hypertension, but was obese, weighing 110 kilograms.

“He had a 99% lung involvement,” said the doctor, who was part of the team that treated the patient.

“When we questioned his family why he didnot get vaccinated, they said it was due to fear,” Dr Sudhakaran said.

He said the patient was brought to the hospital in a critical state and was put in CPAP ventilator and highflow nasal cannula. He was given Remedesivir too.

In the first week of January, when Omicroncases began surging, 11 of the 17 patients admitted in theICU of RGGGH were not vaccinated. In Omandurar GH, eight of 10 were not vaccinated.

“Most patients admitted in the ICU are unvaccinated. Maybe, if this patient (Karimullah) had taken at least one dose, there could have been progress during the treatment,” Dr Sudhakaran said.

Data collated from the city Covid hospitals showed, 69% of those who died due to Covid in the city in December were unvaccinated.

 

‘After 2nd wave people queued up for jabs’

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15.01.2022

R Trivedi, who retired from Gandhi Medical College (GMC) as a professor of paediatrics, is a vocal advocate for vaccination. Way back in 1962, as a medical student, he went around convincing people for the polio vaccination. In the past year, he has done the same for the Covid vaccine. With a heavy heart, he recalled how people known to him, young and old, got sick with Covid,some even died, because they were not vaccinated. “Go get the vaccine,” he tells those still hesitating to take their second or even first dose That’s what vaccinator Jaya Patil tells people around her, too. She was on duty at the launch of vaccination drive and administered hundreds of doses in next 9 months in Bhopal’s main tertiary care hospital. “Earlier, it took a certain amount of counselling to convince people who had vaccine hesitancy. After the second wave, people queued to get the jabs,” she said.

TNN

Thanks to vax, I’m here: Doc who took Bhopal’s first dose

Bhopal: The gap was nine months -from detection of the Covid-19 case in Madhya Pradesh on March 20, 2020, to the first dose of vaccine on January 16, 2021, to protect against the pandemic. Now, 365 days later, to understand the magnitude of mission vaccination in the state, scribble nine digits — 10,72,82,293.

That was the number of doses administered in Madhya Pradesh till 6pm on Saturday. It’s more than the population of at least 148 countries and territories. By the time this paper was printed, there would have been hundreds more.

The first person to get the shot of life in Bhopal was octogenarian Dr S K Trivedi. Over the next 52 weeks, he has got three doses — ‘boosted’ as it were to take on the virus. His latest dose was earlier this week, on January10.

Summing up his three jabs, he says, “Let’s put it this way. During the Delta wave, I was sick for a couple of days. Thanks to vaccination, I am able to talk to you again.”

On Day 1 of booster dose, many hopefuls sent back

 On Day 1 of booster dose, many hopefuls sent back

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Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

11.01.2022

Chennai: On the first day of vaccine booster programme in the city, officials of Primary Health Centres (PHCs) said they were unaware of the campaign. Several people who had queued up were sent back home.

Greater Chennai Corporation on Sunday had announced that booster doses will be available at 140 PHCs in the city. However, soon after chief minister MK Stalin launched the campaign at MRC Nagar on Monday, complaints began to pour in.

S Ganesh, a resident of Thiruvanmiyur, said he visited three PHCs in his area to get the booster shot for his 73-yearold mother, but could not get it. He said he had received a text message from the government on Sunday requesting her to get her third dose.

“Workers deployed at helpdesks in Thiruvanmiyur, Kottivakkam and Palavakkam PHCs had no information regarding the booster shot. The situation was no different at Virugambakkam PHC. Overall, it was a mess,” he said, hoping that the government will rectify the matter in the next one or two days.

People residing within Tambaram and Avadi corporation limits faced a different set of problems. “Government hospitals here do not have adequate Covaxin stock. So only those who had received two doses of Covishield were able to get inoculated,” said SM Govindarajan from Federation of Residents' Welfare Associations in Tambaram.

In Avadi, even though booster doses were available, not many were aware about the campaign, eligibility and documents required. “Some eligible people arrived at PHCs here without Aadhar card, printed copies of comorbidity or vaccine certificates. So they were sent back,”said T Sadagopan, a resident-activist from Pattabiram.

None of the private hospitals administered the third dose. Their names were not even listed on the official Cowin website. “It would be better if the government starts vaccinating people at their doorsteps,” Sadagopan said.

GCC Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi said doorto-door vaccine campaigns for booster shots will begin soon. People who are 60 or above can contact 1913, 044-25384520 or 044-46122300 to register.

84-yr-old Bihar man ‘who got jabbed 11 times’ named in FIR

 84-yr-old Bihar man ‘who got jabbed 11 times’ named in FIR

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Deo Narayan Saha TNN

09.01.2022

Madhepura: The 84-year-oldformer postmaster from Bihar’s Madhepura, who claimed to have recieved 11shots of Covid vaccine, has been named in an FIR filed by a health care centre from where he received two of these doses. Brahmdeo Mandal had boasted about getting multiple shots of the vaccine on nine occasions, using the same Aadhaar card and mobile number. 

The octogenarian was caught last Tuesdayattempting to get his 12th doseat a centre in Madhepur. Mandal said the jabs were was notonly protecting him from Covid but also “curing me of mymany ailments”. SHO Deepak Chandra Dasof Puraini police station said Mandal would be charged with various offences. Mandalhas a diary containing the details of places from where he got the shots. 

He first got jabbed at Puraini PHC on February 13 followed by a legalsecond dose at the same centre on March 13. He visited Orai village subhealth centre for his third shot on May 19 and got a fourth oneduring a camp organised outside local PDS dealer’s premises on June 16. He then went toPuraini Badi-Hat camp on July 24 and got his fifth jab. Thesixth was at a camp at the Nath Baba shrine on August 31. His seventh and eighth shots were administered at the Bari Hat school camp on September 11and 22 respectively.

85-yr-old Bihar man boasts of 11 jabs, caught at 12th shot

 85-yr-old Bihar man boasts of 11 jabs, caught at 12th shot

06.01.2022

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Madhepura: In a ‘boaster dose’ India’s Covid vaccination campaign could have done without, a vaccine-obsessed 84year-old man from Bihar’s Madhepura claims to have been jabbed 11times at different centres — on nine occasions,  using the same Aadhaar and mobile number— before his shot at a 12th dose misfired.

Brahmdeo Mandal, a resident of Orai village in Puraini, was stopped on Tuesday just after he walked into yet another vaccination site in Madhepura on the premise that each extra dose was not only protecting him from Covid but also “curing me of my many ailments”.

As embarrassed health officials searched for explanations, civil surgeon A N Shahi said an inquiry had been ordered to fix responsibility for Brahmdeo getting past the data firewall nine times with a single Aadhaar card and mobile number.

Brahmdeo produced a diary containing details of where he got his shots and on which dates. He apparently got jabbed first at Puraini PHC on February 13, followed by a legal second dose at the same centre on March 13.

Full report on www. toi. in

 

Confusion over Covaxin shelf life: Some pvt hospitals won’t start drive tomorrow

Company Has Taken Back A Few Stocks For Relabelling

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Sunitha.Rao@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:

02.02.2022

With confusion over the shelf life of Covaxin vaccine continuing, some private hospitals in Bengaluru are unlikely to start the drive for children from January 3.

While the manufacturer, Bharat Biotech, had claimed the doses could be used up to one year from the time of production, the Union health ministry has clarified that the expiry date on the vaccine vials is final. Karnataka has nearly 6 lakh Covaxin doses in private hospitals.

In November, Bharat Biotech had said Covaxin vials have proven their stability beyond six months and could be used for up to 12 months from the time of manufacturing. The company had also issued a communication to private hospitals that new dates of the doses — which were earlier slated to expire between September 2021 and June 2022 — would now be between March 2022 and September 2022.

However, replying to Karnataka’s queries pertaining to the shelf-life extension of the drug for six more months, the Union health ministry on December 23 stated: “All vaccines should not be utilised beyond the expiry date as mentioned on the label of each vial. ” This has led to confusion among private hospitals.

Dr R Ravindra, former president of Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (PHANA), said the company picked up the vials for relabelling from a few hospitals in Bengaluru on December 31. “It is likely to take two more weeks for the company to relabel the vials and return them,” he said.

Dr Ravindra, who heads Suguna hospital, which also sent vials for relabelling, said they won’t be able to provide Covaxin doses for children from Monday. Sparsh Hospital has 12,000 doses of Covax- in. “The company is yet to take the stock from us to replace or relabel it. As we are waiting for that, we’ll not be able to administer the doses from January 3,” said Guruprasad BR, chief marketing officer, Sparsh Hospital. Doses available at Apollo Apollo Hospitals, which has more than 4 lakh of Covaxin doses, has returned the stocks and is expecting either relabelled or fresh 10,000 dosesones on Sunday. “We’ll conduct vaccination drive for children from Monday at three branches in Bengaluru and one in Mysuru. CoWin slots will be made open for online booking. For the first three days, we’ll have only 10,000 doses and we’re expecting further supply,” said Dr Yatheesh Govindaiah, unit head of Apollo Hospitals, Jayanagar.

At Manipal Hospitals, vaccination for children with special needs will begin from Monday. The hospital will use its unexpired doses.

According to Dr Arundhathi Chandrasekhar, director, National Health Mission, Karnataka, not all Covaxin doses with private hospitals have expired. There are nearly 12,000-14,000 doses that have longer shelf life and they can be used, she said.

“We won’t be monitoring vaccination in private hospitals. They have been instructed not to use the expired doses, as per the government of India communication. Now, it is their responsibility and obligation,” she said. When asked about the labelling of Covaxin vials with extended expiry, she said it should be clarified by the Drugs Controller General of India. Members of Covid Technical Advisory committee in Karnataka said the manufacturer has to take back the expired doses and provide fresh ones. “It’s a tricky issue involving children, parents, private hospitals, manufacturers and the government. The company should now play a responsible role by taking up confidence-building measures,” a member said.

PHANA members said most schools have tied up with the government for the free vaccination programme.

Changed phone numbers add to vax drive

Changed phone numbers add to vax drive

 chaosSribala.Vadlapatla@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:  01.01.2022

Telangana’s second dose Covid-19 vaccine drive has been slow — the state ranks 23rd among states and Union territories — but not without a reason.

One of the reasons for the delay in administering the second dose is that many people have changed their mobile phone numbers, which are linked to their Aadhaar number. “There would be at least 10% of such people and some of them were vaccinated for the second time, but their numbers are scattered. We are attempting to enter the details of such people using digital codes, but even that is becoming difficult,” a senior health official told TOI. He further said: “We are requesting the people not to switch the phone numbers associated with their Aadhaar numbers. This is causing a lot of confusion. ” Officials have also noticed a similar pattern among those who are overdue for their second dose of vaccine. There are still 20 lakh people who are overdue for their second dose in the state.

Amid this confusion, there are some positive trends as well. Concerns about the rapid spreadof Omicron, aswell as the announcement of the precaution dose, have elicited an overwhelming response from all eligible age groups. Despite the fact that the targeted age group is only those over 60, authorities are receiving requests from people of all ages. “A lot of us are asking us to give them precaution doses even though they do not qualify under the current guidelines, which is a good sign,” a senior official said.

Meanwhile, officials said that four Omicron-tested patients in Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences (TIMS)have serious comorbidities with liver and kidney,buttheyare all recovering well. There has also been no serious need for any other medicine, they said. “They are also not given any Covid-19-approved drugs. In the hospital, their condition is stable. The others have no symptoms,” an official said.

Seniors more ‘mask-friendly’ than youngsters

 Seniors more ‘mask-friendly’ than youngsters

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Ashutosh.Shukla@timesgroup.com

Bhopal:

Who are  the people wearing masks and who aren’t? An answer to this question will have to be divided into several categories age, gender, area, income and professional groups.

Anyone observing the pattern over a period of time can tell you that elderly or middle aged persons are more particular about wearing masks than the youngsters, women are seen wearing masks than men, residents of new Bhopal are seen in masks more than the residents of old city, residents of posh colonies and housing societies wear masks more than the residents of slum areas and colonies inhabited by lower middle class or poor people and more doctors or teachers are seen in masks than the policemen.

“You can blame it on their age. Youngsters obviously don’t fear disease or death so much , may be it is the reason that they are not seen wearing masks so much as middle-aged or elderly persons. I think their parents should insist with them that they wear masks to protect themselves from Covid-19, which makes no distinction of age or any other factor”, said Akash Agrawal, while talking about age group of youngsters sipping tea at a tea stall outside his office, none of them wearing masks or observing social distancing.

Gender-divide in observing the mandatory mask norm can also be clearly seen. Girl students in a college or school are seen in masks even after they have come out of their college or school while boys can be spotted going into the college or school without wearing a mask.

“I think girls have always been more disciplined and it reflects here, too, You don’t have to ask them to wear masks but boys, they often take out masks from their pocket when asked to put on a mask”, said Prerna Shama, a teacher in a private school.

In markets and other public places, too, women are seen in masks more than the men in all age groups. The area you are in also makes a big difference in terms of compliance to the mandatory mask norm. In a market at Hanumanganj or Ibrahimpura, you rarely come across shoppers or even traders wearing masks while in upmarket areas like 10 no. stop market, traders and shoppers wearing masks is much much more.

“We have seen it right from the beginning of Corona times. Residents of the old city could never come to terms with wearing masks even when many localities were Corona hotspots in the area. More people in the new Bhopal area are seen in masks than the old city”, said Tausif, a resident of Shahjahanabad.

Only Covaxin jabs for children

 Only Covaxin jabs for children

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TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru: 01.01.2022

Ahead of administering Covid-19 vaccine to children (15-18 age group) and ‘precautionary’ doses to healthcare/frontline workers and senior citizens with comorbidities in January 2022, the health and family welfare department said only 0. 5ml of Covaxin will be given to the teenagers.

In a circular issued on Thursday, the department said children born in 2007 and before will be vaccinated from January 3 and the second dose will be provided 28 days after the first.

District health authorities have been instructed to ensure vaccination centres have separate schedules for kids and the rest of the population. Parental consent must be taken prior to administering vaccine to children with comorbidities. In case the child is given any other vaccine recently, the Covid-19 vaccination must be done only af- ter 15 days, read the circular issued by Arundhathi Chandrasekhar, mission director, National Health Mission, Karnataka.

The health department has asked districts to identify schools with three rooms spacious enough for establishing vaccination centres. Drinking water and hand-wash facilities must be set up. The list of schools where Covid-19 vaccination for children is administered must be made public, the circular stated.

Schools conducting online classes must schedule dates of vaccination and provide children with jabs. Any adverse event following vaccination must be efficiently managed, the note said.

Precautionary doses will be made available for healthcare and frontline workers and senior citizens with comorbidities from January10. “They must have completed 39 weeks or nine months from the time of second dose,” the circular stated.

Healthcare/frontline workers aged above 60 who had taken their previous doses under the general citizen category can provide their employment proof and get registered for the precautionary dose. Key decisions to be taken soon, says Bommai Amid a spike in Covid-19 and Omicron variant cases in the state, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday said the government will take some “important decisions” in the days to come. He said health infrastructure such as beds, oxygen and medicines should be put in place to deal with the situation. “Cases are increasing across the country; the Centre has identified Karnataka as one among the eight states,” Bommai said.

69% of 60+ and 73% of those aged 45-59 fully vaccinated

69% of 60+ and 73% of those aged 45-59 fully vaccinated

55% Of Those In 18-44 Age Group Have Got Both Shots

Rema.Nagarajan@timesgroup.com

01.01.2022

India finished 2021 well short of the target of fully vaccinating the entire adult population by year-end, announced in May. However, over 90% of the target population has received one dose and about 64% have been fully vaccinated as of 7 pm on Friday. Himachal Pradesh is the only state which has fully vaccinated its entire population while Punjab has the smallest proportion of fully-vaccinated population, just over 40%.

A total of over 145 crore doses of vaccine have been administered and the Centre said over 16. 9 crore doses were lying with the states as of Friday morning. Thus the vaccines supplied to the states (150 crore) or administered by private hospitals adds up to about 86% of the 188 crore doses required to fully vaccinate the total adult population estimated to be about nearly 94 crore.

Only 69% of those above 60 years, the most vulnerable population, has been fully vaccinated. Almost 73% of those in the 45 to 59 age group have been fully vaccinated, while a little over 55% of the 18-44 age group has received both shots. Among health workers, who constituted the first priority group to get the vaccines, 97 lakh have been fully vaccinated, while just over 1 crore have received one dose. Among frontline workers, 1. 8 crore have received the first dose and about 1. 7 crore have been fully vaccinated.

Barring Bihar, Punjab and Jharkhand, all states have administered the first dose to well over 80% of the popula- tion over 18 years. Punjab, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh have not fully vaccinated even half the eligible population. In the South, Tamil Nadu continues to be the laggard state, where just 86% have got the first shot and only 58% have been fully vaccinated.

Serum Institute’s Covishield accounts for 128. 9 crore doses or about 89%, while Covaxin accounts for 15. 7 crore (11%), other vaccines having made a negligible contribution so far. The demand for vaccines is likely to shoot up with children to be vaccinated from January 3 and booster doses to be administered from January 10.