Gurugram achieves 100% COVID-19 vaccination, 1st in Delhi-NCR
Gurugram has become the first district in Haryana to administer both doses of COVID-19 vaccines to all eligible civilians, the health department announced Tuesday. The district administered 41,28,596 doses to 18,03,655 eligible persons, health officials said. Official data said 128.6% of the district population (including people from outside the district) was administered the first dose while 100.3% was administered the second dose.
Why does it matter?
Gurugram is the first district in the state and in the National Capital Region (NCR) to claim 100% vaccine coverage. Officials said the success was attributable to multiple health department operations: drive-through vaccination sites, mega vaccination drives, and special camps. The vaccination campaign will continue for those who have not yet received their second dose.
How did the vaccination program unfold in Gurugram?
Since the vaccination drive started on January 16, a total of 40,441 vaccination sessions have taken place in Gurugram. The district had launched its 'Har Ghar dastak'—a door-to-door campaign—on November 3. Health staff visited 6,97,672 homes and vaccinated 2,53,357 people as part of this effort. Special sessions for pregnant women were held on the 9th of every month, and 8,431 women were vaccinated.
'Door-to-door campaign was the last step'
"Since inoculations began on January 16, the department had been working on a war footing to achieve this target," Gurugram Chief Medical Officer Virender Yadav told The Indian Express. Setting up vaccination camps in different places helped the district achieve 100% coverage in 11 months, he said. "The door-to-door vaccination campaign was the last step, which helped us in achieving success," he added.
Who received the jab in the district?
A total of 28,54,294 doses (16,40,210 first and 12,14,084 second) was received by people aged 18-44 years. A total of 6,90,642 doses have been given to adults aged 45-59 years and 3,99,429 doses have been provided to people aged 60 years and up.
What is the next step?
In the next phase, officials have been asked to perform random surveys of 1,000 people, said Yadav. Those found to be unvaccinated will then be given doses. On booster doses, Yadav said there are no central or state government guidelines yet. On vaccinating children, he said they have collected the relevant data and "are prepared when the instructions come."
Low mortality rate and hospitalizations
So far, hospitalizations and mortality in Omicron patients have been low, said Yadav. Notably, antibodies were discovered in 78.3% of the population in Gurugram during the third serological survey in October.
