There are more than 19 lakh people in Bengal who have not taken their second doses despite the due dates to take them getting over.
Some of them have claimed that they took two doses at separate centres.
But the authorities are not asking for any evidence from them, leaving open the chance that many could skip taking the second dose.
Ajay Chakraborty, the state’s director of health services, said that 19,04,092 second doses had become overdue as on Friday. The number of overdue Covishield doses was 13,87,711, while that of Covaxin was 5,16,381, he added.
Those who have crossed the maximum advised gap between two doses of Covid vaccines are counted in the list of overdue doses, said another health department official.
The Union health ministry has recommended a gap of between 12 weeks and 16 weeks between the first and second doses of Covidshield. The recommended gap between two doses of Covaxin is between four weeks and six weeks.
Officials of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, who are responsible for identifying those who have not taken their second doses in Kolkata, said many of those who took their first dose in KMC-run Covid vaccination centres told them on being called that they have taken their second dose elsewhere. An official of the state health department said that they were getting similar responses from people living in other districts when field-level health workers visited the homes of such people. But neither the health department nor the KMC is asking for any evidence that these people had actually taken their second doses.
An official of the health department said that it was practically not feasible to ask everyone to come with an evidence of their second doses as that would disrupt vaccination programme. “It would not be possible to check the evidence from everyone who are claiming that they have taken their second doses but for whom our records are showing that their second doses have become overdue,” said the health department official.
A KMC official added that they could not force anyone to take vaccine as it was a choice of the individual. Motivating and counselling those hesitant of taking Covid vaccines was the only thing they could do, said the official.
Chakraborty said some of those who are on the overdue list are central security forces personnel who were in Bengal for the Assembly elections and have gone back to their places of postings where they could have taken their second doses. Some were migrant workers who were in Bengal when they took their first dose but who are now out of the state.
If someone whose second dose has become overdue admits having not taken it and agrees to take it now, they will be allowed to take the second dose.
“There is no bar even if they have passed the recommended maximum gap between two doses,” said the health department official.
Another problem that has left the officials confused is that some of the recipients took their first and second doses using different phone numbers, as a result of which the records could be still showing that their second doses are overdue, said officials.