Gzb ropes in inoculated health workers to improve coverage
On radar of officials for the next round are health care workers who were reluctant in taking the shots and anganwadi workers
GHAZIABAD: After achieving a 81.25% vaccination target and inoculating 3251 of the targeted 4000 health care workers during the second round of Covid-vaccination on Friday, Ghaziabad district officials have now trained their focus on increasing coverage further.
On the radar of officials for the next round are health care workers who were reluctant in taking the shots and anganwadi workers who refused to participate in the drive on Friday.
The next round of vaccination across UP, including Ghaziabad, is planned for January 28 and 29. Uttar Pradesh, officials said, on Friday had vaccinated 101,006 health care workers out of a target of 155270, working to an overall coverage of about 65%. Of the 75 districts, 19 — including Ghaziabad on the eleventh spot — reported vaccination coverage of over 75%.
Apart from the 19 districts mentioned above, 29 others have had a coverage between 60% and 75%, while 27 districts, including Gautam Budh Nagar, could cover only 60% of their assigned target for January 22.
“We held an experience-sharing session with the beneficiaries on Saturday and also with those who faced issues during the 20 adverse event following immunization (AEFI) events on Friday. All the AEFI cases were minor, and all have fully recovered. We have formed batches of health care workers who have received the jabs and will now be our brand ambassadors for future vaccination rounds,” said Ajay Shankar Pandey, district magistrate.
“They have also been assigned targets to motivate and spread information about vaccination among the proposed beneficiaries. Their task will be to counsel them that the vaccines pose no health issues and they should come forward,” he added.
The officials said that health care workers, including female doctors, have been asked to contact anganwadi workers and motivate them. According to official estimates, there are about 1,000-1,200 anganwadi workers in the district who have been under the 21,800 health care workers to get the Covid vaccination in the first phase.
“The groups of health care workers who have been vaccinated so far have been asked to take rounds on vaccination day and take proposed beneficiaries to the vaccination session room at their respective centres. So, people who have been vaccinated will play a major role in motivating others ,” Pandey, added.
On Friday, Shanti Gopal Hospital at Indirapuram, Yashoda Hospital branches at Nehru Nagar and Kaushambi, the com
munity health centre at Loni, Sarvodaya Hospital in Kavi Nagar and Columbia Asia Hospital near NH-9 achieved 100% vaccination.
The officials said that those centres whose officials achieved 100% of their target will be felicitated.
The officials have also instructed two centres, whose target remained below 50%, to put in more efforts and ensure that the pending health care workers come forward and participate in the next round .
Of the 31 centres, where vaccination was taken up on Friday, 19 centres contributed with coverage of over 75%. Three of the four previous centres where vaccination was taken up on January 16, improved their coverage on January 22.
These included community health centre at Dasna with 98%, Santosh Medical College at Pratap Vihar with 97% and
Yashoda Hospital at Kaushambi which achieved 100%. The coverage of the district women’ hospital on Friday went down to 83% as against 97% on January 16.
Meanwhile, only three new cases were recorded in Gautam Budh Nagar on Saturday, taking the total tally in the district to 25,306.
According to the state health department’s daily bulletin, the district saw no new deaths, the toll remaining at 91. Active cases were 55, while total discharged were 25,160.
In Ghaziabad, the death toll remained at 102, with no new deaths in past 24 hours. The fresh cases were eight, considering cross-notification, taking the total count to 26,517.
There were 157 active cases in the district.
The state recorded a total of 598,445 cases and 8609 deaths due to the disease.
The health care workers who have been vaccinated so far, have been asked to take rounds on vaccination day and take proposed beneficiaries to vaccination rooms AJAY SHANKAR PANDEY, district magistrate, Ghaziabad