Centres asks states to expedite Covid-19 vaccine second-dose coverage among healthcare workers

For the frontline workers (FLWs), the national average of first-dose coverage is 85 per cent but for the second dose, it is only 47 per cent

Even after five months, only 56 per cent healthcare workers and 47 per cent frontline staff received the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, the Union government pointed out to the states on Thursday.

Karnataka is among the 19 states that have reported a second dose coverage much less than the national average, which itself is poor.

For front line workers, the national average of first dose coverage is 85 per cent but the second dose coverage is only 47 per cent. Other poorly performing states in this category include Bihar, Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, Telangana and Punjab.

For the healthcare workers, the national average for the first dose administration is 82 per cent but the figure drops to 56 per cent for the second dose. As many as 18 states Punjab, Maharashtra, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Assam have coverage below the national average, the Union Health Ministry said in a statement.

Terming the low vaccination coverage among healthcare workers and frontline workers, especially for the second dose as a cause of serious concern, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said full protection to these two groups is crucial to fight the pandemic.

Also, timely completion of the vaccination schedule was important for conferring full protection to beneficiaries, he reminded the state officials.

States have been asked to sharpen their focus and prepare effective plans for expediting the second dose administration for the healthcare and frontline workers using dedicated time slots or sessions.

Bhushan also flagged inadequate private sector participation in the Covid-19 vaccination drive, even though the private sector can procure 25 per cent of the vaccine stock as per the revised guideline. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Assam are the worst sufferers due to limited presence of private hospitals and their unequal spread.