Ludhiana district picks up pace in inoculating 18+ age group

Nitin Jain

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 22

Ludhiana has picked up pace in inoculating its young population under the new Covid vaccination regime, allowing free jabs to all above 18 years of age at government facilities and at prescribed controlled rates at private institutions, since Monday.

We have adopted a demand driven policy for supply of vaccine to the districts, under which requisite quantity of vaccine doses will be made available on the basis of consumption. All the field staffers have been instructed to upload inoculation data daily on Cowin mobile application in order to facilitate procurement of additional supplies from the Centre. Vini Mahajan, Chief Secretary

The district has ranked second in the state in giving first shot to the people aged between 18 and 44 years of age at the rate of 14,655 per lakh population, which was double than the state’s average of 7,147, the officials figures have revealed.

Continuing to remain the leader in the state with one and the only district to cross the 1-million vaccination mark so far, Ludhiana inoculated 10,74,503 persons till Tuesday, which included 2,89,276 between the age group of 18 and 44 years. While 2,42,215 beneficiaries in 18-44 age group have got Covishield shots (2,40,816 first and 1,399 both), 47,061 have been administered Covaxin jabs (46,969 first and 92 both doses).

The data analysed by the Health and Family Welfare Department, which is available with The Tribune, showed that Mohali has topped Punjab with the highest per lakh population coverage of 17,087 in the 18-44 age group, while Fazilka remained the laggard with the lowest 1,321 per lakh people inoculation in the youngest age category.

Among other districts, Hoshiarpur stood third with 11,346 per lakh vaccination of young in 18-44 age group, followed by Ropar at 10,398 per lakh population coverage, Patiala 9,589, Jalandhar 9,218, Kapurthala 8,052, Gurdaspur 6,141, Pathankot 5,058, Bathinda 4,709, Ferozepur 4,669, Faridkot 4,569, Amritsar 4,390, Fatehgarh Sahib 4,060, Moga 3,813, Nawanshahr 3,720, Barnala 3,082, Tarn Taran 2,803, Sangrur 2,755, Mansa 2,003 and Muktsar second last with 1,881 per lakh people in the 18-44 age group administered the Covid vaccine.

In other categories, Ludhiana ranked eighth in giving first dose to the people above 60 years at the rate of 56,777 per lakh population coverage, which was higher than the state’s average of 51,293, and seventh in fully vaccinating above 60 year population.

In the 45-59 age group, Ludhiana ranked seventh in giving first shot with 45,980 per lakh coverage, which was again higher than the state’s average of 36,627, and third in administering both doses at the rate of 6,499 per lakh population, which was also higher than the state’s average of 4,290 per lakh coverage.