Vaccine query: When is our turn? -Health department officials expecting to vaccinate 6.6 lakh-odd health workers in Bengal in another one-and-a-half months

Health department officials say they are expecting to vaccinate all 6.6 lakh- odd health workers in Bengal in another one-and-a-half months

A Covid vaccine dose being administered in the city.  :  Telegraph picture

Sanjay Mandal   |   TT   |  Calcutta   |   29.01.21  :  A senior doctor in the city posted in a WhatsApp group of the residential complex where he stays: “I received the Covid-19 vaccine today.”

The response came soon and from many neighbours, known and unknown. One wrote back: “Congratulations Doctor Saab! But when will we get the vaccine?” The others raised the same query, too.

Health workers across the country are getting Covid-19 vaccine doses and doctors and health department officials in Calcutta are flooded with queries from people in other professions about when their turn would come.

Many are deferring their holiday plans and waiting to get their shots before boarding a flight. But there is no clarity yet in this regard, said health officials.

“We are getting a lot of queries every day from people regarding when they will get their shot. There could be some clarity on this after a month,” Bengal home secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam said.

Health department officials said they were expecting to vaccinate all 6.6 lakh-odd health workers in Bengal in another one-and-a-half months. Till Thursday, about 1.8 lakh health workers have been vaccinated, said officials.

The Covid-19 vaccination drive had started across the country on January 16. Only doctors and other health-care workers will get their doses in the first phase.

In the second phase, frontline workers, including police personnel, civic body workers and others involved in dealing with people, will be vaccinated. One health department official said it would take about three-and-a-half months from now before the elderly people and younger people with comorbidities could start getting their doses.

The process of identifying elderly people and those with comorbidities is yet to start.

“We are yet to receive any guideline from the Centre on how to prepare the list. Once it comes, we’ll immediately start the process,” said Nigam.

Doctors and public health experts said that before the vaccine doses had arrived, the confusion among people was about which vaccine would be available in Bengal and whether it was safe to take it.

“After the vaccination drive started and people have seen there are only mild adverse actions in a small percentage of recipients, many patients are asking when they could get their doses so that they could step out of their homes without fear,” said physician Chandramouli Bhattacharya.

Another doctor said he had patients asking him when the Covid vaccines would be available in the market so that they did not have to wait for the government to call them for their doses.

Health department officials said there were many younger people with comorbidities and they were worried about how long they would have to wait for a vaccine shot.

People suffering from comorbidities like diabetes, hypertension, cancer, chronic kidney disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are more vulnerable to the novel coronavirus, which causes Covid-19.

“Many cancer patients are getting worried about when they could get a dose. Now they are scared of visiting clinics or hospitals for check-ups,” said surgical oncologist Gautam Mukhopadhyay.

Metro had earlier reported that many cancer patients could not consult doctors for months because of the lockdown triggered by Covid pandemic.

There are also many who are deferring their travel plans because they want to get vaccinated against Covid first.

Calcutta businessman Sanwar Agarwal has to travel frequently to Europe. "I import medical equipment and have to travel to several countries in Europe. I had last visited Europe just before the lockdown was announced. I want to get vaccinated before travelling out of the city again," he said.    

Tour operators said many people were reluctant to travel because of news of a fresh surge in Covid cases in Europe or America.

“Several clients have deferred their holiday plans because they want to get vaccinated first. We are telling them all safety protocols are being followed at the airports and on the flights. There is no clarity yet on when we can get a vaccine but they are not ready to travel,” said Anil Punjabi, chairman, east, Travel Agents Federation of India.