Bengal targets 100% vaccination of 15 to 18-year-olds in 2-3 weeks

Kolkata: As many as 15,418 Covid patients were discharged from hospitals after their recovery on Wednesday while fresh infected cases in the state stood at 11,447. The discharge rate in Bengal stood at 91.09 per cent on Wednesday with the fatality rate remaining at around 1.05 per cent.

The total number of infected cases reached 19,28,961 in Bengal so far. Out of this, around 17,57,066 patients have been released from hospitals after recovery. The positivity rate also dropped to 16.98 per cent on Wednesday from 19.38 on Tuesday. The figure stood at 27.73 per cent last Sunday. The number of fatalities on Wednesday went up to 38 from 34 on Tuesday. The total death toll has gone up to 20,193 on Wednesday. The occupancy of Covid beds also dropped to 5.98 percent on Wednesday from what remained at 6.27 percent on Tuesday. Around 67,404 samples were tested across the state on Wednesday with 2,24,83,841 sample tests being carried out so far.

Meanwhile, the state Health department has also given emphasis on the completion of vaccination among youths in the age bracket of 15-18 years. Vaccination among the people in this age group started in Bengal on January 3 like in other states. Over 24 lakh children have already received the first jab in the state with the Health department administering around 1 lakh doses every day on an average. The state now sets a target to vaccinate the remaining 25 lakh youths within 2-3 weeks.

The Health department has also directed the Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMoHs) in the districts to increase the number of daily booster doses administered on the elderly comorbid patients so that senior citizens can be checked from hospitalisation. The Health department is keen to administer booster doses on all eligible senior citizens who had received the second jab over 39 weeks ago.

Meanwhile, with 2,82,970 new infections being reported in a day, India's total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 3,79,01,241, which includes 8,961 cases of the Omicron variant, according to the Union Health ministry data updated on Wednesday.

The active cases have increased to 18,31,000, the highest in 232 days. They were 18,95,520 on May 31 last year.

The death toll has climbed to 4,87,202 with 441 fresh fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The cumulative Covid vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 159.54 crore on Wednesday, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare stated.

More than 62 lakh (62,39,005) vaccine doses were administered in the day till 7 pm.

Over 61 lakh precaution doses have been administered to frontline workers, healthcare workers, and citizens aged 60 and above, the ministry stated.

As much as 30 per cent of individuals lose vaccine-acquired immunity after six months, according to a study conducted by AIG Hospitals along with the Asian Healthcare Foundation on Vaccine Immunity.

The study was conducted on 1,636 healthcare workers who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, a press release from AIG Hospitals said.

"Our study results were at par with other global studies where we found that almost 30 per cent of individuals had antibody levels below protective immunity level of 100 AU/ml after six months. These individuals were majorly above 40 years with co-morbidities like hypertension and diabetes. Out of the total, 6 per cent did not develop any immune protection at all," Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, Chairman, AIG Hospitals said.

The results clearly indicated that with age, immunity waning is directly proportional which means that younger people have more sustained antibody levels than the elderly population.

One of the most important results of the study showed that people above 40 years with co-morbidities like hypertension and diabetes have significantly less antibody response after six months of getting fully vaccinated, the release further said.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up state governments for failing to disburse claims to the next of kin of Covid victims and issued a show-cause notice to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary as to why contempt action be not initiated against him.

The Apex Court asked the Chief Secretaries of Andhra Pradesh and Bihar to remain present virtually at 2 pm on Wednesday and explain why disbursals — Rs 50,000 ex gratia for COVID-19 death — have been so few in their states.

A bench of Justices M R Shah and Sanjiv Khanna said that it will pass orders at 2 pm and asked the state legal service authorities (SLSA) to reach the families who have lost their near and dear ones to COVID-19 to facilitate registration and disbursal of claims like it was done during the 2001 Gujarat earthquake.

The top court said it rejects the Covid death toll given by Bihar, and added that these are not actual but government figures.

"We are not going to believe that only 12,000 people died in the state of Bihar due to Covid. We want your Chief Secretary to be here virtually at 2 pm," the bench told the counsel appearing for the Bihar government.