Time for booster jabs, but 14 lakh yet to take second shot in Telangana | Hyderabad News

As per the latest statistics from the health department, a total of 43.18 lakh vaccine doses are currently due.

HYDERABAD: Despite the rapid increase in Covid-19 cases each passing day, the reluctance to take precaution doses and in many cases even second doses, remains persistent. Many have overshot their due date to take the jab by 3 to 4 months now and are still in two minds whether to complete the vaccination or not.
For 45-year-old Ramesh Kumar Yadav, getting infected after having completed two doses of vaccination was reason for avoiding the precaution dose. “After I got infected, I read everything that I could about the Covid vaccines and figured out that the vaccine gives partial immunity and still there are chances of getting infected. Now I don’t feel the same sense of urgency to get the precautionary dose like I did when getting the first two doses,” he said adding that he had stood in a queue for hours to get his previous doses.
Like Yadav, many continue to wait and watch. “Right now, the variants are not causing severe infection but I might take the precautionary dose once there is a real threat,” said Lasya Boora, a housewife.
Nearly 14.7 lakh second doses and 28 lakh precaution doses are still pending in the state. Second dose coverage for various age groups range from 30% to 70% in Hyderabad, which is seeing the maximum number of fresh cases daily. The other two districts where cases are high – Ranga Reddy and Medchal Malkajgiri – have second dose coverage ranging between 20% to 50%.
As per the latest statistics from the health department, a total of 43.18 lakh vaccine doses are currently due. These also include 41,048 first doses which are pending. In 10 districts, children in the 15-17 age group have not completed the first dose while second doses are pending in 23 districts.
Health authorities however advised against the wait and watch attitude. “People who are waiting to see if cases will increase further, must know that after taking the vaccine dose it takes a minimum of 15-20 days to begin working. People of all eligible age groups are advised to take the doses as soon as possible,” said Dr G Srinivasa Rao, director of public health, Telangana state.