kolkata: State health department has directed all the districts to carry out door-to-door campaigns urging elderly people to take booster doses as many senior citizens are still reluctant to receive boosters.
The development comes at a time when the state has seen a sudden jump in daily Covid cases.
Fourth phase sentinel survey conducted by the health department recently said that around 75 per cent of those received vaccines are protected against Covid. Kolkata has the highest number of daily Covid cases followed by North 24-Parganas. According to health department data, there are around 9 lakh people in Kolkata who are above 60. Out of this, around 2.85 lakh people have so far received Covid booster dose. Most of the elderly citizens in the city are yet to receive booster doses. The situation is nothing different in case of North 24-Parganas or other districts. Out of around 45 lakh population in the city, only around 4 lakh have received boosters so far. Out of 9 lakh elderly people in Kolkata only 2.85 lakhs have received boosters.
As the number of daily cases has gone up, the state health department has given emphasis on immunization. As the daily infection in Bengal dropped to as low as 20, a perception developed among many that Covid infection might have subsided. As the cases suddenly jumped, the health department has asked the Chief Medical Officers of health in the districts to increase daily vaccination.
Daily Covid infection has however slightly dropped on Monday compared to Sunday's figure. Around 224 fresh cases have been reported across the state on Monday while the figure was registered at 362. One death has been reported on Monday. State saw one death on Sunday as well. Covid fatality rate stood at 1.05 per cent on Monday while the recovery rate dropped to 98.85 per cent on Monday. Around 21,209 people have so far died of Covid in the state. Around 20,22,141 people have so far been infected with Covid across the state out of which 19,98,888 people have recovered.
State health department also directed the Chief Medical Officer of health in all the districts to monitor the Covid situations in their respective districts. The district officials may be asked to ensure that people wear masks while visiting local markets and other public places. In the wake of a sudden rise in daily Covid cases in the city, the health experts have urged people to wear masks and follow Covid norms. They also emphasized on booster dose vaccination.