Poor response to vaccination worries AMC; to undertake drive with people's participation

Aurangabad, June 12:

The jurisdiction of Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) comprises of nine zones. However, there is poor response to the Covid-19 vaccination drive in three zones of the city. The doctors and health personnel are contacting the citizens on phones, but the citizens of age 45 years and above are not ready to come and take the vaccine. Meanwhile, there are some centres in the remaining six zones where the response to the vaccination is overwhelming. Meanwhile, the health administration is worried and is planning to undertake an awareness drive with people's participation to increase the vaccination percentage in the city.

The AMC started the vaccination on January 16. Initially, the vaccine was administered to the health care workers, frontline workers, citizens of age 60 years and above and 45 years and above with co-morbidity. Of all the nine zones, there is poor response to the drive-in Zone Numbers 1, 2 and 3. These zones comprise 45 wards. Besides, the AMC had also started one or two vaccination centres in all 115 wards. However, the centres were closed due to poor response. The health personnel and Asha workers are visiting door to door and also contacting people on phones to take the vaccine, but their efforts are going in vain.

Is the city safe?

The tentative population of the city is 17 lakh and the city would be termed as safe only if 70-80 per cent of residents are vaccinated. In the past six months, the AMC had vaccinated 3.26 lakh persons. Of which, 2.41 lakh persons had taken their first dose and 84,831 had taken their second dose.

Need for adequate measures

The municipal officer of health (MoH) Dr Neeta Padalkar said, " The AMC will be undertaking adequate measures like awareness drive by attracting the participation of local political leaders, activists, NGO and VIPs. There is a huge misunderstanding amongst the citizens about the vaccine. We will try to convince them. Our target is to give the vaccine to the maximum number of citizens as it is the issue of public health."

According to health section sources, the circulation of rumours on social media is responsible for it. The citizens are getting panicked and hesitating to take the vaccine.

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The centres where the figures for vaccination are poor include Misarwadi - 181, Shah Bazaar - 595, Juna Bazaar - 1267, Ganesh Colony - 1570, Nehrunagar - 1927, Jinsi-Rengtipura - 2069, Garam Pani -2333, Silk Mills Colony - 2397 and Kaiser Colony - 2557.

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The centres where the figures of vaccination are good include Cidco N-8 - 21,219, Bansilalnagar - 19,192, Cidco N-11 - 18,216, Civil Hospital - 14,714, Rajnagar - 13,296, Satara Parisar - 13,125, Cantonment - 12, 875, Nakshatrawadi - 9,939, Jawahar Colony - 9,790 and Kranti Chowk - 9396.