This story is from December 24, 2021

Hyderabad trails Karimnagar in second Covid vaccine dose coverage

Some 28 lakh people in the state have not taken the second does, with the majority of them from Hyderabad.
Hyderabad trails Karimnagar in second Covid vaccine dose coverage
Picture used for representational purpose only
HYDERABAD: Some 28 lakh people in the state have not taken the second does, with the majority of them from Hyderabad.
Karimnagar has the highest number of fully vaccinated individuals against Covid-19, surpassing Hyderabad and Rangareddy, according to latest data from the state health department. Officials claim the havoc coronavirus triggered during the first and second wave and the spurt seen off late may have driven many to vaccination centres.

Karimnagar has completed 100% coverage of first dose and inoculated approximately 7.9 lakh people, while coverage of second dose was at 84% (roughly 6.6 lakh people). Hyderabad has so far vaccinated 79% of target population, while Rangareddy inoculated 77% eligible citizens.
However, other districts, which had reported spikes like Nalgonda and Nizamabad, have so far logged 45-55% second dose inoculation. Nalgonda has reached 93% first dose coverage and 44% second dose coverage, while Nizamabad recorded 90% first dose vaccination, among the last five districts in terms of first dose coverage. When it comes to second doses, Nizamabad has reached 55% coverage.
Explaining the disparity between these districts, a health department official said, “On one hand, the fear of the virus has been a lot in some districts, especially where the second wave has resulted in a lot of deaths, but that is not the only factor. In fact, all the three worst affected districts, which were hit by oxygen and bed shortage, saw people coming forward to get vaccinated.”
“If we see in terms of numbers, Nizamabad and Nalgonda have vaccinated more people, but their overall target is also much larger than Karimnagar, 11 lakh and 12 lakh respectively. As a result Karimnagar is in the first place,” he explained.
Vaccination drive was taken up in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) area on priority basis, but once the first dose coverage was nearly 100%, the focus was shifted to other districts. Nalgonda has administered the vaccine first dose to 11 lakh people, while Nizamabad inoculated 10 lakh eligible population. “Nizamabad is almost at par with Karimnagar in terms of second dose numbers” the official added.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA