Greeva Garg –
The Tripura High Court in a suo moto case observed that the Covid-19 vaccination figures claimed by the Tripura State Government were inaccurate.
The Government claimed in an affidavit that in Tripura the population comprises 12.36 lakh people of 45-plus age group and 26.86 lakh people above 18 years.
As per the report of the Director of Tripura National Health Mission, Dr Siddharth Shib Jaiswal, they had administered 98 per cent of the and 80 per cent of the with the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in the Tripura State.
The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Akil Kureshi and Justice Subhasish Talapatra directed the Mission Director, Dr Siddharth Shib Jaiswal to issue a press statement revealing the accurate figures of vaccination in the State.
“On the date when the Mission Director made these claims, the total vaccines administered were 24,26,803 of which 5,66,458 were of the second dose. A total number of people vaccinated was thus 18,60,345. Perhaps, he has taken the total doses of vaccines administered for arriving at this 80 per cent coverage, forgetting that a substantial part of it was administered to the same person as a second dose,” the Court Order reads.
The bench observed, “When an officer as responsible as the Mission Direction of National Health Mission, Tripura, is quoted to have provided information which was inaccurate, we expected him to issue a correction statement to the press.”
The Court directed the Government to procure a sufficient amount of the second dose for the efficient administration of the vaccine to the people.
The High Court also asked for data analysis of deceased people which could be a cause of increased mortality rate in the State.
Also read: Tripura HC: People cant wait indefinitely for second dose of Vaccine after Internal period is over
