Jammu and Kashmir needs at least 74 lakh COVID-19 vaccination doses to inoculate 37 lakh of its population at two doses per individual in the age group 18-45 even as the UT government has placed orders for 1.2 crore vaccine doses before the Central government, officials said.
As per an official handout issued by divisional administration Kashmir this afternoon, the J & K government has placed an order of 1.2 crore doses before the government of India.
The handout quoting Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, P K Pole, however cautioned that there “can be difficulty as other states have also placed orders with the spread of the virus in many parts of the country”.
“Despite that, vaccination of above 45 age groups is going on in full swing and the rate in J&K is 61 percent against the 33 percent national rate which is almost double the size of national level percentage, the Div Com said.
The Div Com hoped that the remaining population in the above 45 age group shall be vaccinated in the coming days.
As for the 18- 45 age group, J&K needs vaccine doses for 37 lakh population for which registration process has been started and shall commence soon, the handout said.
The requirement of doses for the sake age group adds up to at least 74 lakh as each individual needs two doses for complete COVID-19 vaccination schedule.
The Div Com said that vaccination for this age group shall be prioritized including shopkeepers, drivers, journalists, employees and others who come in public contact.
He further said that the daily positiveity rate in the valley was getting stabilised at 10-12 percent since the past few days.
Pole however warned that there were chances the mortality rate might remain the same or even increase in the next few days.
Maintaining that the Administration has been taking every possible step to contain the spread of virus, the Div Com said that the demand for oxygen beds has also eased out as the number of beds has been increased at all dedicated COVID-19 hospitals including SKIMS Soura and SMHS tertiary care hospitals.
He said that patients in home isolation too are taken due care by the administration, which will provide COVID-19 care kits to each positive patient for their better treatment.
He said that Kashmir at current “is in a comfortable position as there are five oxygen manufacturing plants while as 20 more oxygen generation plants have been installed at different hospitals in Kashmir”.
He said people should “avoid listening to baseless allegations of oxygen supply shortage”.
“Instead, all work as a team to overcome this pandemic situation, ” the Div Com said.
He further said that the COVID-19 vaccination in J&K had “touched the 50,000 daily doses mark” during the ongoing drive.
The Div Com urged people to remain watchful and comply with all government instructions religiously for containment of COVID- 19 during the ongoing second wave.