Vaccination crosses 1-lakh mark in Haryana, virus at the lowest ebb Officials to encourage health workers to get jabs

CHANDIGARH: As Haryana recorded 894 coronavirus infections last week (Jan 18-24), the weekly climb has come down for the first time in eight months. The last time the state saw a three-figure weekly infection mark was in mid-may last year.

The infection curve has thus continued with its flattening trend for a successive ninth week.the state, on Monday, also crossed the lakh-mark in terms of coronavirus vaccination.

Additional chief secretary (ACS, health) Rajeev Arora said that 33,215 healthcare workers (HCWS) were inoculated on January 25, a day designated as Covid-19 Vaccination Day by the state health department. “We are set to complete vaccination of about 1.90 lakh registered HCWS except those who cannot be given the vaccine as per guidelines (pregnant and lactating women, persons allergic to any vaccine). As on January 25, Haryana has vaccinated 1,05,401 HCWS. In the coming days, all the registered and eligible beneficiaries will be vaccinated,’’ the ACS said. Meanwhile, only four districts in the state now have a critical positivity rate of more than 6%. Panipat is the latest to exit from the critical category, while Jhajjar with a positivity rate of 2.1% for a second consecutive week remained on the brink of entering the desirable positivity rate category of less that 2%, according to health department statistics. The sample positivity rate of the state further declined to 5.3 %.

The case fatality rate stayed at 1.1 % and recovery rate was 98.3 %, as per the health department data. Faridabad’s positivity rate came down to 9.3%, Gurugram’s dropped to 7.9% and Panchkula’s to 6.7 %. Rewari’s positivity rate stayed put at 7.6 %. Sixteen districts – Panipat, Ambala, Hisar, Karnal, Mahendergarh, Sonepat, Rohtak, Kurukshetra, Fatehabad, Sirsa, Bhiwani, Yamunanagar, Palwal, Jind, Kaithal and Jhajjar – have a positivity rate of 6% or less but higher than desirable positivity rate of less than 2%. Charkhi Dadri (1.3%) and Nuh (1%) continued to maintain their desirable positivity rate of less than 2% for ninth week.

KARNAL: Concerned over the poor response for Covid-19 vaccine, directions have been issued to district authorities to encourage healthcare workers (HCWS) in state for Covid vaccination.

The National Health Mission (NHM) director has written to all civil surgeons, medical officers and directors of all government medical colleges in Haryana that only 23% of the enlisted target (of around 2 lakh healthcare workers) have been vaccinated by January 22, five days after the vaccination drive was launched in state.

Directors of all medical colleges and government hospitals have been asked to cooperate for maximum vaccination of over 30,000 beneficiaries.

As per the letter, to achieve the target, each district needs to address the relevant stakeholders including medical colleges,

ICDS, and IMA through the deputy commissioners to address any apprehensions.

Further the PMOS and medical superintendents of all civil hospitals are to motivate all staff to come forward for vaccination.

“Total 1,220 people (81% of targeted 1,500 ) were vaccinated in district by evening. It is difficult to achieve the set target in a single day,” said Panipat CMO Sant Lal Verma.

In Kurukshetra, 719 healthcare workers were vaccinated against the set target of 1,500. “We have vaccinated over 700 people in a single day. Total people vaccinated in district has reached over 2,000,” said Dr Anupama Bharal, nodal officer for Covid-19.

Meanwhile, Karnal CMO Dr Yogesh Sharma claimed that the drive has got a good response as 1,570 people were vaccinated in the district on a single day and around 5,400 people have been vaccinated so far.