MUMBAI: The Mumbai city is now the only district in Maharashtra where fewer than 30% of the young teenagers have taken at least one shot of the Covid-19 vaccine. Mumbai is behind the state average in vaccination of children between the ages of 12 and 14 years by a considerable margin, lagging even tribal and rural districts such as Gadchiroli and Nandurbar.
According to the recent data, barely 27% of the young teens have taken at least one shot in Mumbai against the state average of 57%. In terms of full vaccination, fewer than 10% of children from Mumbai have taken both shots compared to 24% in Maharashtra. In the 12-14 age bracket, Nashik is the state's best performer with 85% of children vaccinated with at least one shot followed by Sangli (84%).
Mumbai's response to young teen vaccination has been slow since the first day although it is the only district in Maharashtra to cover 100% adults with both doses. Dr Pramod Jog, a member of the paediatric task force, said that exams, vacations and complacency on the part of parents have jointly contributed to a meek performance in the vaccination of young teenagers and adolescents. "It is a matter of concern. We have spoken to paediatricians and taken workshops with parents and teachers to drive home the importance of vaccination even among young people," he said, adding that while children may not suffer from severe Covid-19, they can be carriers of the virus which could put the high-risk adults in the household at risk.
Dr Bakul Parekh, another member of the paediatric task force, said that children who are at high risk themselves because of obesity, childhood diabetics, uncontrolled asthma, and even those who are physically disabled, will certainly benefit from vaccination. A civic official said they have not encountered any severe side effects in more than a lakh kids who have taken Corbevax, and hence parents shouldn't harbour doubts about safety.
Maharashtra and Mumbai have been lagging in the vaccination of the 15-18 age bracket, too. Barely 57% of adolescents in the city have taken the first shot and 44% both shots.
