LUDHIANA: With Covid-19 cases witnessing a steep fall in the past two months, laxity has crept into minds of people for whom the pandemic is almost over. But amid the threat of a new Covid variant Omicron-XE, a worrying trend has been witnessed in Ludhiana according to which not many people are going for the precaution dose of vaccine despite being eligible for it.
District immunisation officer (DIO) Dr Manisha said around 70,000 eligible persons are yet to get the precaution dose.
The data of the health department revealed that 46,546 persons had received precaution dose till Wednesday evening. Fifteen days ago, precaution dose beneficiaries stood at 42,669. The precaution dose vaccination had started on January 10.
Out of the total beneficiaries, the majority are 60-year plus persons (20,369), followed by frontline workers (14,244) and healthcare workers (11,933).
Civil surgeon Dr S P Singh said for the past two years, they had been creating awareness among the people. He said people should realise that they should get vaccinated on time so that they get the best protection, including anti-bodies cover.
The health official said it is too early to comment on how XE will behave, but they have only come to know that it is more infectious. He requested the people to get due dose of vaccination, whether it is the second dose or precaution dose.
Health experts too said it is very important to get vaccinated on time. “China has already imposed lockdown and cases are increasing in the United states and Europe too. So, we need to be vigilant to the threat of new variants. The only way to prevent severity of disease is to get vaccinated properly,” said Ludhiana IMA secretary Dr Bimal Kanish.
