Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's announcement of Tika Utsav 3.0 beginning on Sunday for the 18-44 age group will bring in a huge sigh of relief for those who failed to get themselves a slot on the online booking system. The State government's decision to take the vaccination to local bodies by engaging panchayats and municipalities and making it a walk-in registration is a welcome step keeping in mind the 100 per cent target of first dose coverage by July 31.
The State government's recent initiatives on vaccination must be acknowledged. The fact that it promptly opened up the priority sector soon after an announcement from the Union Health Ministry is commendable. The only hitch that remains is that those in the priority sector who are awaiting a second dose are still left stranded. A vast section of seafarers and those working for global companies on foreign soil are facing a dilemma because the time gap of the second dose was abruptly extended to 84 days. The Centre's decision to curtail it to 28 days would help many of those who want to complete their vaccination and comply with rejoining formalities. It would be most unfortunate that an unnecessary extension of days would cost them jobs since the workforce from other countries has already finished their doses and resumed duties.
The anguish was visible when seafarers and NRIs who had turned up for vaccination at health centres a couple of days back could not get the second dose because the portal did not execute the change. The government must understand that the second dose is crucial for a large section of seafarers and others because their job documentation would remain incomplete. On this count, the State government has to pursue with the Centre or work a via-medium to resolve this issue.
On the other side, NRIs who have returned from the Gulf countries after taking the first dose of Pfizer or Sinopharm face a piquant situation due to the non-availability of a matching second jab. India has been using Covishield, Covaxin and Russian-made Sputnik V. Ironically, many overseas companies are yet to accept Covaxin-vaccinated employees since it is yet to get a WHO clearance.
Secondly, another issue that requires resolution is guidelines to families that have suffered fatalities on how to go about claiming compensation. The State government had recently announced Rs 2 lakh relief to the kin of those who lost their lives to Covid. However, with officials handling death registration in a quandary over a mention of 'Covid death' on a certificate, beneficiaries could face an ordeal when it comes to compensation. The Chief Registrar of Births and Deaths has not issued any instructions and till now the death certificates issued have no disclosure of Covid death.
With the second wave easing off and vaccination picking up pace, the government must put modalities of compensation in place. Friday's health bulletin showed a death figure of 2,899 and many families could need immediate relief to keep themselves afloat. The big announcement on compensation must be followed up with an outreach.
