PUNE: Over the last 45 days, Maharashtra has given Covid-19 boosters to 40.86 lakh citizens in the 18-59 age group, as part of the 75-day special drive that began nationwide on July 15. This pace is unlikely to help the state achieve the target it had set of 1 crore beneficiaries by September 30, the day the drive ends. Health activists have now urged the state government to get Ganesh mandals to host vaccine drives. The Centre had decided to offer free booster doses for the 18-59 age group at government vaccination sites as part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations.
State immunisation officer Dr Sachin Desai said, “A total of 40,86,283 people in the 18-59 group received a booster shot between July 15 and August 29 as part of the special drive.”
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Dr Desai said officials are doing their best to boost turnout at public centres. “We are conducting awareness activities. We have also urged district and municipal health authorities to involve Ganesh mandals in the Covid vaccination drive as the pandals draw a large number of citizens during the 10-day festival.” Mumbai so far has recorded the highest number of precaution doses (3.65 lakh beneficiaries) between July 15 and August 29. Thane follows with 3.49 lakh beneficiaries and next comes Nashik (3.17 lakh), Nagpur (2.99 lakh) and Pune (2.89 lakh). Officials said the response was impressive during the first few days of the free booster drive. “Between April 10 and July 14, only 8.1 lakh people in the 18-59 group had taken the booster at private hospitals in Maharashtra. The number of beneficiaries then hit the 22 lakh-mark in just 15 days, after the Centre made boosters free at civic sites from July 15,” Dr Desai said. The daily count of booster shots was about 1.4 lakh during this period. Now, the daily number has dipped to 50,000 beneficiaries.
Health activist Dr Sanjay Dabhade said, “Officials can use mass media tools to publicise boosters. Ganesh mandals can play a big role.” There are 7.5 crore people in the state’s 18-59 group. Of them, about 75% (5.62 crore) have taken both doses. All these people are eligible for a booster shot.
