PANAJI: Even as chief minister Pramod Sawant claimed that the state would vaccinate the entire 18-44 age group by July-end, projections based on current vaccination rates show that that may remain a pipe dream unless Goa manages to vaccinate at least 10,000 persons a day.
The last four days saw 16,138 persons in the age group get the jab, and at this rate, it would conservatively take close to six months before the entire age group is vaccinated.
The directorate of health services estimates that there are around 6.5 lakh individuals in the 18-44 years age group, and 5.5 lakh persons in the 45 years and above bracket.
At present, just 10% of the state has been vaccinated.
In fact, since the vaccination drive kicked off on January 16, just 96,736 persons have been fully vaccinated.
At this rate, the rough projection shows that it would take over four years for the remaining eligible population of the state to receive both doses.
The chief minister’s bold statement last week may have raised some hopes, but doctors say that the data and vaccination trends tell a different story.
On Sunday, just 4,788 people in the 18-44 years bracket got the jab.
The total number of beneficiaries who got vaccinated on June 6 is 10,297, which includes healthcare workers, frontline workers and those above 45 years.
Doctors said that there are two issues and both are interlinked.
One is to get more people vaccinated and increase the vaccination rate, the other is availability of vaccines.
“We are looking at 10,000 vaccinations per day, that is the target for the 18-44 age group.
If we are able to do so, we can cover this group in three months.
The target is to do it as early as possible,” said an official source.
However, a senior GMC doctor said that the state is far from 100% vaccination.
“If we could not hit vaccination targets at the peak of the wave, how will we meet targets when cases are low?” the doctor, a head of the department, said.
Senior doctors say that unless the state government undertakes a course correction, it would be very difficult for the state to vaccinate a significant part of Goa’s population.
“Misinformation and propaganda are big problems in Covid management.
The only way to counter vaccine hesitancy is to challenge it and tackle it with urgency,” said a senior doctor who is part of the task force for the third wave.
He pointed out to rumours being spread that the vaccine affects fertility, potency and menstruation.
One of the biggest challenges before the state is the inconsistent vaccine supply.
“You cannot go on campaign mode for vaccination if you don’t have a consistent supply of vaccines” said the GMC HoD.
“Once you resolve the inconsistency in supply, only then can you reach out to people.” Doctors have recommended that the state election machinery, along with local elected representatives, should be roped in to enhance participation in the vaccination drive.