Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - HT Navi Mumbai Live
Young adults await a jab, worry about livelihood
KOLHAPUR: Prathamesh Sutar did not allow anyone to enter his home without spraying sanitiser on their hands. The 30-year-old resident of Kolhapur’s Ambewadi village ran a photo studio above his two-room home and even sanitized the currency notes he received from customers. When the Covid-19 vaccination drive for the 45+ age group began, Sutar ensured that his parents received their inoculations. After the Centre allowed vaccinations for all above 18 years starting May 1, he tried to book a slot on the CoWin platform, but with little luck. On June 1, Sutar started showing symptoms of Covid-19 disease and on June 3, a CT scan revealed a severity score of 18, which indicated that the infection had spread widely into his lungs. On June 12, Sutar succumbed to the virus.
“He was restless since he could not find a vaccine slot,” said mother Sujata (48). “Had he got the vaccine, he would have perhaps been alive, sitting with us right now,” she said. Sutar symptoms appeared a few days after he attended a relative’s wedding. Though he did not have any underlying ailments, he was overweight.
Young, unvaccinated
Kolhapur has emerged as a district of concern for Maharashtra contributing the highest daily caseload in the state since June 23. And while it tops in vaccinations of those above 45 years, it has also vaccinated the least number of people between 18 to 45 years. As of July 24, the district had administered a little over 1.7 million doses of which only 64,559 — or 3.7% doses — were administered to 18-45 year olds.
By the second week of July, Kolhapur’s vaccination rate for 18 to 45 age group stood at 2.4%, which was lower than neighbouring districts like Sindhudurg
(13.9%), Sangli (8.6%), Ratnagiri (12.4%), and Satara (7.7%) all of which are also districts of concern.
This has led to a concern that new infections could well be driven by the younger, unvaccinated population. Between March and December 2020 (considered the first wave by district officials), nearly 35% of infections were seen among 21 to 40 years. The infections jumped to 42% in this age group between January 1 and July 10, 2021.
The administration is required to give priority to those who need to receive the second dose of the two vaccines that are currently part of the national vaccination programme – Covishield (the second dose must be administered after at least 84 days) and Covaxin (the second shot must be administered after at least 28 days).
This is understandable as the full efficacy of the vaccine — to prevent severity of disease and death — can only be achieved after both shots.
What’s more, despite opening vaccination to all adults, the Centre changed its procurement policy only the following month after vaccine manufacturers indicated that they preferred to deal only with the Union government. Currently India has made available three COVID vaccines, Covaxin, Covishield and Sputnik. It needs another 1.5 billion doses by the end of the year to completely vaccinate the entire adult population — its stated target.
“We vaccinated a large number of people above 45, taking the district to the top,” said Kolhapur’s civil surgeon Dr Anil Mali. “But since we covered such large numbers and with limited vaccines coming in, we have to prioritise the same population for the second dose,” he said.
Traders protest
On July 19, non-essential shops in Kolhapur were opened after protests from the trader community, including those from Ichalkaranji, the textile city of Kolhapur. The district moved from Level 4 to Level 3 in lockdown relaxations: allowing non-essential shops and establishments (cloth, shoes, hardware, stationery etc) to remain open on weekdays till 4 pm. Earlier, only medical and grocery shops considered essential were allowed to remain open.
“It has been difficult to sustain the business since Covid-19 hit us last year,” said Srinivas Kudalkar (40), who runs New Sundar Fall Industries in Ichalkaranji’s
Janata Chowk cloth market. Kudalkar paid 50% salary to all his nine employees through the lockdown. “I would have been forced to cut down my staff had the restrictions continued any further,” he said. Many traders like Kudalkar are unvaccinated, and health officials believe that a spurt in cases is likely once business resumes.
“We are all on the edge,” said Sandesh Mahajan (37), who sells the famous Kolhapuri chappals at the Shivaji chowk market in Kolhapur city. Merely 200 metres from the Mahalakshmi temple, Mahajan’s business largely depends on the tourists and devotees. But since the places of worship are shut to prevent the spread of the disease, there is hardly any business for small shopkeepers like Mahajan. “I have to keep the shop open even if I sell only one pair of chappals,” he said.
Mahajan, who had to dip into his savings to pay off his loans, said that he could not afford to pay for his vaccination in a private clinic.
Others like Rahul Nimankar left no stone unturned to get the Covid-19 jab. The 36-year-old loom owner drove 45 km to the neighbouring state of Karnataka to get the vaccine on June 10. “With the full-fledged opening of businesses, I had to ensure my own safety,” said Nimankar, who has nearly 50 workers, most of them from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
“The trader community argued that they would prefer to die of Covid instead of hunger. Others who felt trapped in their houses during the lockdown let their guard down,” said Kolhapur’s district health officer Dr Yogesh Sale. “A third spurt is unavoidable.”
Meanwhile, in Ambewadi village, not a single person in the 18 to 45 year category had been vaccinated till the third week of July, and Sutar’s death triggered panic in the village youth.
“I have asked the village sarpanch to take up the issue and I have been regularly checking with the primary health centre, but there is no update on opening vaccinations for the 18 to 44 population,” said Akshay Jadhav (28), an audit supervisor with a petrol pump chain and a resident of Ambewadi.
“It’s important to secure the elderly, but it’s also crucial to safeguard people like us who are often the main breadwinners and have to step out every day,” said Jadhav, who worked closely with Sutar, editing the photos his friend took.