Hyderabad: Many parents in Hyderabad are reluctant to get their children, aged between 15 and 17 years, vaccinated against COVID-19 due to various reasons.
The reluctant behavior is also being witnessed in Ranga Reddy District where not even 50 percent of children of age group 15-17 years are vaccinated.
At present, only 49 percent of the children who belong to Ranga Reddy District are vaccinated whereas, in Hyderabad, the vaccination coverage among teens is still just above 50 percent i.e., 53 percent.
In the entire state, 69 percent of the children have taken the first dose of the vaccination.
Reason for low vaccination among teens
New Indian Express has quoted Dr Karuna M, senior paediatrician saying that one of the reasons for low vaccination among the age group is that a significant number of children of the group got infected with COVID during the third wave of the pandemic. As vaccine jab cannot be taken within three months post-infection, the vaccination coverage remained low.
Among other reasons for the low vaccine coverage is parents’ hesitation. They are waiting for more brand jabs to become available for the age group. Some of them have decided to wait till their children turn 18 years so that more brand options will be available for them.
COVID-19 cases in Telangana
Daily COVID-19 cases continued to show a declining trend in Telangana on Friday, with 2,387 fresh infections being reported. The state recorded 2,850 cases on February 1, 2,646 cases on February 2, and 2,421 on February 3.
With the addition of the new cases, the tally rose to 7,74,215, a health department bulletin said.
The number of recoveries also continued to outnumber fresh infections on Friday with 4,559 people recuperating from the infectious disease. Active cases stood at 30,931.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most cases with 688, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri and Ranga Reddy (131 cases each) districts.
