200 vaccination centres ready for 15-18-year age group, says PMC

Dec 27, 2021 11:33 PM IST

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PUNE As teenagers in the 15-18-year age group have been given the go ahead to receive the Covid vaccine from January 3 onwards, local authorities have started to assess the necessary requirements

PUNE As teenagers in the 15-18-year age group have been given the go ahead to receive the Covid vaccine from January 3 onwards, local authorities have started to assess the necessary requirements. Officials from Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) said that there are 200 vaccination centres in the city and depending upon the guidelines, if there is a need, then vaccinations can be arranged in schools and colleges.

A beneficiary registers at the Kamla Nehru hospital to be vaccinated. (Shankar Narayan/HT PHOTO)

According to the public health department, there are 0.533 million beneficiaries in Pune district, including urban and rural, between the age group of 15-18. Besides this, 0.198 million health workers will be beneficiaries of a ‘precautionary dose’ in the district.

“Once the detailed guidelines come from the state and centre we will get more clarity. In Pune we have 200 vaccination centres. If need be we can arrange vaccinations in schools and colleges as well, but it all depends upon the guidelines. The procedure of vaccinating healthcare workers for precautionary doses is set and it will begin from January 10,” said Suryakant Deokar, immunisation officer, PMC.

As per information given by Dr Sanjay Deshmukh, deputy director (health) Pune region, “This projection is based on the 2011 census. Adolescents in this age group are not too young not to be able to go to vaccination centres. There are 0.198 million health workers eligible for the precautionary dose and 1.327 million beneficiaries above 60 years of age.”

Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, has been granted approval for restricted use in an emergency situation for the age group between 12 and 18 years. Covaxin is the second vaccine after Zydus Healthcare’s ZyCoV-D that was approved for use in children aged 12 years and above.

“The collective figure of the eligible beneficiaries in the new vaccination policy in the district is around 1.5 million which can be easily covered in a month. The Omicron scare may prompt people to get vaccinated. Also, parents were more anxious for children’s vaccination. So I am sure a good response will be received for this drive,” said Dr Deshmukh.