The Calcutta Municipal Corporation has begun calling people who took their first dose of Covid vaccine from a civic vaccination centre but have not taken their second dose yet, Firhad Hakim, the chairperson of the board of administrators of the civic body, said on Saturday.
Over one lakh people whose second dose has become due are yet to take the doses, an official of the civic body told The Telegraph.
Doctors of the civic body fear that if not prodded many of them could skip their second doses.
“We have started calling those whose second doses have become due. We are requesting them to take the second dose immediately,” Hakim said. “We will give priority to second dose recipients so that they do not have to wait for long.”
Officials said the civic body was even giving a date and time over the phone so that the recipients could come to the centre to take the second dose.
An official of the CMC said 85,000 second doses of Covishield and 25,000 second doses of Covaxin had become due in CMC-run vaccination centres till Friday as these recipients had not taken their second doses yet.
“The numbers keep increasing every day.”
The new vaccination guideline issued by the Union government stated that the second dose of Covishield can be taken between 12 and 16 weeks after the first dose. For Covaxin, the second dose can be taken between four and six weeks after the first dose.
The CMC’s vaccination centres have been witnessing a low turnout of second dose recipients for about a couple of weeks now.
The civic body had last week reserved separate days for administering the first and second doses, but there was tepid response from second dose recipients.
In a meeting with senior officials of the CMC’s health department on Friday, Firhad Hakim had also asked them to visit homes of people whose second doses were due.
An official said on Saturday they had prepared slips that would be handed over to people on visiting their homes.
“The slips will give the date and time when they should come to the centre to take the second dose,” said the official.
A doctor who is in-charge of Covid vaccination in a portion of the city said the people were coming to take the second dose after receiving the calls.
“Many people did not realise that the second dose was due. After receiving our calls they are turning up at the centres,” said the doctor
“We urge people to come forward and take their second doses. To stay protected against Covid-19, we must take vaccines, wear masks and maintain distance from one another. This is a disease for which no solution has been found yet. So, we have to take these measures,” Hakim added.