PANAJI
About 20% of the police force in the State contracted Covid since the pandemic broke out last year, with four of them having succumbed to the virus.
According to Dr Dattaprasad Nagvenkar, police medical officer at Panaji, 1,598 police personnel have tested positive so far, of which 21 are being treated while the others have since recovered from the disease.
The four personnel who succumbed to Covid-related complications consisted of one DySP, one ASI and 2 IRB constables.
The police force had been on the frontline during the pandemic, entrusted with various duties which included enforcement of the lockdown, curfews and containment zones, monitoring law and order, even going to the extent of conducting thermal checking of people.
Mindful that a large number of 8000-odd personnel, which include home guards and reserve police, had contracted Covid in the line of duty, the police department had conducted special counselling sessions for Covid positive personnel and Director General of Police Mukesh Kumar Meena had personally monitored the counselling process.
Incidentally, those police personnel who had tested positive were sent on a seven-day leave.
Asked if a sizeable number of police personnel was yet to be vaccinated, Dr Nagvenkar replied in the negative.
"The percentage of the police force vaccinated is quite good. Around 90-95 percent of personnel have received their first dose of the vaccine. Only those with severe health complications and those who are pregnant have not taken the vaccine,” Dr Nagvenkar.
“Initially, there was an issue as some police personnel with high blood pressure, diabetes and other health problems were reluctant to take vaccines. However as awareness increased, the percentage of personnel getting vaccinated increased.”
Dr Nagvenkar said since police were given priority for vaccination as frontline workers, many of them were early recipients of the first dose in March itself.
“In fact, there is around 47 police personnel who were administered the dose early and their names have not been registered on the government's CoWin portal.”
“As a result, they encountered a technical issue in receiving the second dose, which was resolved during a special 3-day vaccination drive for these personnel at Don Bosco in Panaji,” said Dr Nagvekar.
He said the police department had launched a special eight-day vaccination camp at GRP Altino exclusively for police personnel.
The police department has initiated various precautionary measures during the pandemic and these included the posting of pregnant women police personnel at nearby police stations and assigned jobs with minimum public contact.
