KOLKATA: Even as new covid variant cases were detected in the state recently, as per Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) data, only 37 per cent of people in Kolkata have taken their precaution (booster) dose of Covid vaccine.
A senior official of the KMC’s Health department said that as per the data with the civic body, a total of 53,36,910 people in the city took their first dose while about 44,25,036 took their second dose. Compared to these, only 12,40871 took their precaution dose which is about 37 per cent.
Asked whether any campaign is being carried out to spread awareness, encouraging people to take their booster dose, the official said this recent outbreak of the new variant itself is causing people to consider taking their booster doses.
The health official stated that the present variant may not lead to fatality in all unlike the covid variants prevalent during the first and second wave of the pandemic. Asked if testing rates have improved, he said: “At present people who have travel history to countries such as China, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong etc. must get tested.” Recently, four new cases of Omicron subvariant BF.7 were detected in West Bengal, reportedly. Three out of the four detected were members of the same family while one is from Bihar and currently resides in Kolkata.