Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that people who haven't taken the second dose can't be compelled to do so. They can only be made aware.
The second phase of the world's largest vaccination drive began on March 1 (Monday). In this phase, people above 60 years of age or people above 45 years with co-morbidities are getting inoculated. In the first phase of the drive that began on January 16, as many as 33,50,265 people were vaccinated through February 1. These consisted of frontline and healthcare workers.
All of them had to get the second dose of the vaccine between February 13 and February 28. However, by February 28, only 24,19,557 people had the second dose of the vaccine. That is 9,30,708 people who didn't take the second dose.
Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that people who haven't taken the second dose can't be compelled to do so. They can only be made aware. Such people can be tracked down. In the ideal situation, people should take the second dose of the vaccine on the 28th day, but it can also be taken in a gap of 4-6 weeks.
Dr VK Paul, a member of NITI Aayog, said that the second dose is necessary. "People shouldn't have any kind of a misunderstanding. Vaccination will not be completed if the second dose is not taken," he said.
Most people from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal and Rajasthan have not got the second dose of the vaccine.
In Madhya Pradesh, 2,86,538 people had taken the first dose of the vaccine between January 16 January and February 1, while only 1,59,662 people took the second dose between January 13 and February 28. In Maharashtra, people who took the first vaccine dose were 2,75,348, while only 1,58,658 people took the second dose.
In Gujarat, 2,84,170 people took the first dose of the vaccine, while only 1,67,586 people took the second dose. In West Bengal, the number was 2,38,178 in the first phase, while 1,38,847 people took the vaccine in the second dose. In Rajasthan, where 3,13,321 people were given the first dose of the vaccine, only 2,20,942 people took the second dose.
(All data taken from Co-Win portal of the Health Ministry)
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