Case rise prompts SMC Covid survey, vax stress Officialssay response to boostershot low in town

SNS, SILIGURI, 9 JULY 2022 : Following an uptick in Covid cases, a house-to-house survey was conducted across all the 47 wards under the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) to identify people who are yet to be vaccinated. Those who have not taken their second or the booster dose were encouraged to get them now.

The survey was completed yesterday, officials said.

Sources at the SMC said the response to the booster shot had been low.

"Amid a fresh spurt in Covid cases, teams of the health department carried out the house visits. The purpose of the exercise was to confirm how many eligible family members have taken the first or second dose of Covid vaccines and also the third dose. The health workers advised and requested people whose left shots were overdue to take them at the earliest and from the nearest vaccine centres," Darjeeling chief medical officer of health Dr Tulsi Pramanik said.

Officials said the survey had generally focused on finding the number of people who had not taken the second dose (especially the 18-plus group) or booster dose (60 years and above).

"We found there was good response among some people for the second dose and booster dose at urban primary health centres (UPHC) on Friday," an official said.

The survey began on 4 July and continued till 8 July.

"The department's accredited social health activists and integrated child development services workers conducted the five-day long survey. The health workers also conducted the same programme for vector-borne diseases at the same time. A database is being prepared now," the sources said.

People aged 60 and above, and only frontline or healthcare workers, among the below-60 population, arc elible to get the booster doses at government vaccine centres. The SMC runs 10 UPHCs and two more venues for students at the Siliguri Kanchanjungha Stadium hall and the SMC Indoor Stadium.

Covid patient dies

Meanwhile, one more person who had tested positive for the coronavirus died at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) today. The 50-year-old, who had been a resident of Dabgram, had been admitted in the Covid block on 3 July. "The patient died today. He had some pre-existing diseases," said NBMCH superintendent Dr Sanjay Manik.

It is learnt that he had also been suffering from chronic pulmonary disease, hypertension and diabetes.

Eleven Covid patients are currently admitted in the NBMCH, sources said.

Earlier, a Covid patient from Kurseong had died at the NBMCH on 2 July. The NBMCH authorities said the person had died due to aspiration pneumonia.