PATNA: Though Bihar’s state health department are gearing up to vaccinate more than six crore people within six months against Covid-19, according to official figures, more than 1.83 lakh front line workers in the state are yet to receive their second dose of Covid vaccine. The state health department’s executive director Manoj Kumar has asked the district magistrates of all districts and the civil surgeons through an official letter dated July 13, 2021, to ensure immediate administration of the second doses to frontline workers who haven’t received it. Manoj Kumar stated that vaccination in Bihar started on January 16 with the first doses administered to health care workers.
Kumar stated that such a huge number of health care workers and front line workers not been vaccinated with the second doses against the Covid-19 goes against the guidelines laid down by ICMR.As per the letter, which is in the possession of this daily, the executive director of Bihar Rajya Sawsthay Samiti has directed the DMs and the Civil Surgeons (CSs) to ensure immediate vaccination to them within a week.
As per an official figure, only 2, 04, 191 Front-Line Workers (FLWs) till July 8 were vaccinated with second dose while for 71,168 FLWs, the second doses are due. In the same way, 379809 Health Care Workers have been shown vaccinated with the second doses of Covishield till July 8 in Bihar and the 1,12,423 HCWs are yet to be vaccinated with the second doses.