PUNE: Just over 34,000 of the state’s 31.86 lakh teenagers (15-17 age group) have so far come to private hospitals for a paid first dose of the Covid vaccine, a report from the health department has stated. Vaccinations for this group began on January 3.
Mumbai has recorded the most vaccinations at private hospital centres among this group (17,678) followed by Pune (8,602), Thane (5,766) and Raigad (1,056). In fact, only 11 of the state’s 35 districts have recorded teenage vaccinations at private centres, indicating substantial preference for a free shot at government-run centres.
Private vaccination centres in Nashik recorded coverage of 789 adolescents, followed by Palghar (386), Kolhapur (179) and Nagpur (162).
Private vaccination centres in Jalgaon have recorded the vaccination of 46 teenagers so far, followed by Aurangabad (46), Satara (14) and Ahmednagar (6). Rest of the districts did not record any vaccination at private hospital centres. Maharashtra has 7,351 government-run and 508 private vaccination centres.
“Easy access and free availability are the reasons why more teenagers are opting for a Covid shot at government centres,” state immunisation officer Dr Sachin Desai said.
On the low footfalls at private centres, Dr Sanjay Patil, chairman of the IMA's Hospital Board of India, said, “Currently, Covaxin is the only vaccine allowed for teenagers and it costs more than Covishield. Besides, manufacturing of Covaxin doses has always been low compared to Covishield."
In Pune, Sahyadri hospital's CEO Abrarali Dalal said, “Vaccination of 15-17 group is on at our Deccan, Ahmednagar Road, Hadapsar and Bibwewadi branches. So far, 800 youngsters in this age group have received a first dose of Covaxin.”
As for regular coverage, a total of 36,751 people were vaccinated on Thursday in the district. The number includes first doses for teens and precaution doses for healthcare workers, frontline workers and the elderly. The district has so far administered 1,67,29,853 vaccine doses.
