MillenniumPost
Bengal

Will evolve methodology to ensure jabs for those 1L waiting for 2nd shot

KOLKATA: Urging people to avoid unnecessary anxiety over vaccination, the Bengal government has assured all help to private hospitals of making the required number of vaccine doses available for one lakh people, who are waiting for the second dose. This comes when phase III of vaccination is about to begin from May 1. The state government has also written to the Centre to requisition the required number of vaccine doses.

The state government has initiated 'all necessary communication' for the required number of vaccine doses in the state and it has also been maintained that 'the private sector hospitals' efforts to procure vaccine doses from the manufacturers will also be calibrated, mediated and monitored by the state government". The step has been taken so that people do not face any problem in getting vaccines either in state-run health facilities or in private facilities as well.

There had been anxiety among people, who had taken the first dose in private hospitals, as private hospitals were directed that any unutilised vaccine stock balance as of April 30 would have to be returned to the cold chain point from where they were issued.

Followed by a series of meetings of the state top brass, the Bengal government stated that it "will help the private sector hospitals in meeting/keeping their commitments to the recipients of the vaccines for the committed second dose also in suitable places."

Meanwhile, 10 lakh doses of Covishield arrived in the state. Out of this, four lakh has been dedicated to Bengal while the remaining will be sent to the North-Eastern states.

Later, it was learnt that the state government would make a robust arrangement to ensure the same. There are around one lakh recipients of the first doses of

vaccines who are anxiously waiting for their second dose in

different private hospitals. It has been stated that "a methodology will be evolved to ensure

that these people get the second dose".

The state government's effort is on to arrange or procure sufficient vaccine doses gradually and administering of further doses will be taken up more rigorously on the availability of the same. Sources said the state government would go for procuring both Covaxin and Covishield as per the Bengal government's vaccination policy, vaccine shots will be administered completely free-of-cost from state-run health facilities.

This comes when about 1,74,658 people were vaccinated in the state on Wednesday. About 55,216 people took the first dose and 1,09,671 took the second jab. In the past 24 hours, 17207 people have got infected and 77 people died due to Covid in the state.

At the same time, the state government has taken steps to further increase the number of RT-PCR tests per day. Currently, around 54,000 Covid tests take place in a day.

Moreover, the state government has directed all district authorities to set up round the clock District Covid Co-ordination Centre that would be supervised by an officer, not below the rank of Deputy Magistrate.

It will coordinate requests for admission in hospitals, cremation of dead bodies, requirement for ambulances and telemedicine facilities.

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