Ishfaq-ul-Hassan
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir has launched a massive door-to-door campaign to vaccinate 45 plus people left out in the first two phases of the immunization drive.
Leading the campaign is Doda district of Jammu. The district administration is organizing vaccination camps in different Mohollas and villages to encourage people to get immunized.
A team of doctors along with local representatives go door to door and motivate people to visit the camps and take jabs. Since people need to be monitored for half an hour post jabs, the beneficiaries are advised to get inoculated at the special camps rather than at homes.
“People have to be monitored for 30 minutes after receiving the jab. This is to deal with any adverse effects. if any. We keep antidotes ready to meet any exigency. Therefore, we request people to visit the camps set up in the vicinity so that they could be inoculated and monitored,” Vikas Sharma, district development commissioner, Doda, told The Kashmir Monitor.
Doda district has achieved 46.04 % vaccination target, which is the lowest in the Jammu division. Kupwara district has achieved merely 27.57% vaccination coverage, which is the lowest in the Kashmir valley. Jammu and Kashmir, according to May 15 data, has achieved vaccination coverage of 61.03% against the national average of 32.17%.
“We are trying to adjust strategies according to need. At some places, people are willing to receive jabs, but accessibility remains the issue. In other places, accessibility is easy, but the mindset is a problem. So we have to tailor our strategy accordingly,” said Sharma.
Since the second COVID wave swept Jammu and Kashmir, there has been an uptake in the vaccination rate in both regions. Health Department figures reveal that Srinagar has clocked only 35.52% vaccination coverage of the priority group against 98.48% in Jammu. From April 1 to May 15, 2021, Srinagar clocked 99,240 vaccinations, while Jammu administered 2,74,552 doses to citizens above 45. This excludes the health care workers and front-line warriors.
“We are not picking up particular areas for this campaign. We are catering to the popular demand. We send teams to those areas wherefrom we receive requests for ramping up vaccinations. Our teams go and inoculate the people. These camps help in sending a positive message so that other people shun hesitancy and get jabbed,” said Sharma.
