Chief Med officers asked to ramp up booster dose among comorbid elderly

Kolkata: Besides setting a target to vaccinate 100 per cent teens in the age group of 15-18 years within the next 2-3 weeks, the state 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.

According to report, those who are getting admitted to the hospitals after being infected with Covid are mostly senior citizens who have other complications. Health department is keen to administer booster doses on all the eligible senior citizens who had received the second jab over 39 weeks ago. Most of the surveys conducted throughout the world have shown that the fatality rate is much lesser among the elderly people who have completed the booster dose. The health officials of the districts have also been urged to carry out campaigns to inform people as to why it is so important to get the booster dose.

A six-member committee constituted by the health department to examine the current Covid situation in the state has already submitted its report mentioning how the senior citizens are mostly infected under the current circumstances. Unlike the second wave when younger people were infected in large numbers by Delta and Delta Plus variants and many of them turned critical, this time the senior citizens are mostly admitted to the hospitals. Health department data suggest that around 78 per cent of the total Covid deaths occurring in the state now were comorbid senior citizens. During the previous wave last year, around 51 per cent of the total fatalities were comorbid elderly patients. As per the data available with the health department, the most of the Covid infected people in the state are found to be Omicron positive.

The health department has also given emphasis on the completion of vaccination among the youths in the age bracket 15-18. Vaccination among the people in this age group started in Bengal on January 3 like other states.

Over 24 lakh children have already received the first jab in the state with the health department administering around 1 lakh doses everyday on an average.

State now sets a target to vaccinate the remaining 25 lakh youths within 2-3 weeks. State health department will soon hold a meeting with the health and education department officials from various districts so that daily vaccination can be increased among the youths between 15-18. The number of Covid vaccination centres has been increased up to 1,510 from 900 for the smooth running of youth vaccination.