Admin intensifies efforts to ensure 100% vax of teens

Varanasi: The district administration along with health department and schools intensified efforts from Saturday to ensure vaccination of cent percent children between 15 and 18 years in the district at earliest.
A total of 400 teams of vaccinators was engaged in the district on Saturday to cover maximum 15+ children while the divisional commissioner Deepak Agrawal, district magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma, chief medical officer Dr Sandeep Chaudhary and other officials also kept visiting the vaccination centres as well as schools to monitor the process.
Till Friday evening 50.8% children between 15 and 18 years had been given first dose of Covid-19 vaccine. Response of children and their parents was also satisfactory on Saturday and schools have been kept opened on Sunday for vaccination. We are expecting that 75% children in 15+ category would get covered by Sunday evening, said DM. As per the records of CMO, total figure of children between 15 and 18 years in the district is 2,57,879. Of them, 1,30,999 had been vaccinated till Friday evening.
Regarding the problems being faced in ensuring 100% vaccination in this age group category, DM said that many students staying in hostels, parents of many children are still hesitant. Some parents are mentioning that their children were unwell or had received treatment against any ailment recently due to which they cant get their jab.
Few parents are also claiming that they had ensured vaccination of their children although they are unable to produce certificates concerned.
In view of all these problems fresh strategies are being finalized to cover maximum children of this age group in a week or two, said DM adding, the first dose coverage in 18+ category has gone up to 98.5%. The second dose coverage in the district is 60.9% and the target has been set to take this figure up to 98.5% by February 15, he added.
The officials are not only seeking help of schools, madrrasas, coaching institutes and other organisations but also appealing to influential people in the society to convince the families, who have not ensured vaccination of 15+ children. Special camps are also being organized at brick kilns to cover the children of labourers and traders unions are also being mobilized to cooperate in this drive.