Srinagar, Jan 12: Jammu and Kashmir government has requisitioned 10 lakh Covid vaccine shots to kick-start the booster dose drive.
Jammu and Kashmir has attained 100 percent saturation in administering both Covid doses. However, there has been a lackluster response to the precautionary dose.
“We have sought 10 lakh doses to ramp up our vaccination drive. Once we receive the consignment, we will start administering booster doses in J&K,” Dr. Saleem-ur-Rehman, director general, department of family welfare, and immunization, told The Kashmir Monitor.
Scientists have been calling for ramping up the booster dose to keep new variants including BF.7 at bay. BF.7 mainly causes upper respiratory infection in the higher parts of the chest and near the throat. Fever, sore throat, runny nose, and cough are other common symptoms. Some people may get stomach-related symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea.
“We are fully geared for the booster dose campaign. No dates have been finalized as yet. However, our men and machinery are fully geared up for the drive<’ said Dr. Saleem.
Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to intensify the drive and achieve 100 percent saturation at the earliest. “As soon as we get the vaccines, we will start the inoculation drive. Our stocks will be continuously replenished once we start the drive. ,” Dr. Saleem said.
Jammu and Kashmir government has administered 24,582,649 vaccine doses till September 30 this year. Of these, 11,365,277 were the first, and 11,759,791 were the second dose. Around 1 1,457,581 precautionary doses have been administered till September 30
Jammu and Kashmir government had launched a dynamic vaccination campaign. Besides increasing vaccination sites across 20 districts, the government launched a door-to-door drive.
Such was the success of the vaccination campaign, that the Bombay High Court asked the central government to learn from the door-to-door vaccination programme of Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala. Officials from other states were seeking advice from J&K health honchos to increase vaccination coverage in their respective places.
“We have achieved 100 percent saturation of the second dose in 18 plus and even 12 plus age groups. We had started the process for the third dose as well, but people did not turn up.,” an official said.