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Covid vaccination drive picks up in Himachal
The Covid-19 vaccination drive, which had got off to a slow start in Himachal Pradesh, gathered pace on Thursday with the launch of the third phase for those aged 45 years and above
The Covid-19 vaccination drive, which had got off to a slow start in Himachal Pradesh, gathered pace on Thursday with the launch of the third phase for those aged 45 years and above.
The enthusiasm is higher among the younger population and the state government has set up 2,700 inoculation centres to cater to the demand. “I got myself registered for the vaccination as soon as the government announced opening the vaccination for us. I have lost many near and dear ones to this pandemic,” said Vikas Singha, 46, an apple orchadist from Kotgarh.
National Rural Health Mission state director Dr Nipun Jindal, who is in-charge of the vaccination drive in Himachal Pradesh, said 3.11 lakh doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been received. “We are geared up to cover all those above 45. We are targeting 14-18 lakh people in this phase. A total of 2,500 vaccination centres have been set up across the state and the doses have been delivered. We aim to vaccinate more than 20,000 people daily,” Dr Jindal said.
Shimla chief medical officer Dr Surekha Chopra said: “We had been holding 80 vaccination sessions a day in Shimla district but have increased them from today.”
Behind target in earlier phases
The health department aimed to inoculate 96,000 health workers in the first phase of vaccination but has been able to cover 77,000 so far. District administrations have been asked to complete the coverage of health workers by April 10. “The vaccination drive is being accelerated and we are running a publicity campaign urging all those eligible to take the vaccine,” Dr Jindal said.
The department aimed to vaccinate 11 lakh senior citizens but has been able to inoculate only 3 lakh of them so far. Not many above 45 with co-morbidities came forward with only 12,537 of them getting vaccinated.
However, the response from frontline workers, particularly those in the police, has been encouraging. Of the 59,000 frontline workers, 46,310 have got themselves vaccinated.
Reaching out to remote regions
Understaffing at sub centres and primary health centres in remote areas of Chamba and Sirmaur districts is hampering the vaccination drive. “We don’t deny that this is one of the reasons for the slow pace, but arrangements are being made to inoculate people in remote areas,” says Dr Gopal Berry, deputy director, NRHM.
The vaccination drive is yet to reach Malana, a remote village in Kullu district that still lacks road connectivity. “So far, no health worker has visited us. Our village deity has been kind and not a single person has been infected during the pandemic,” says Raju Ram, the pradhan of the Malana panchayat.
The vaccination drive is slow in Chopal assembly segment in Shimla district due to staff shortage at health centres and lack of transport facilities at some villages.
Chamba shows the way to make drive a success
In Chamba, the health authorities have started carrying out vaccination in a phased manner. “As far as the remote parts are concerned, we are carrying out vaccination at sub centres and primary health centres on alternate days,” says Chamba chief medical officer Dr Rajesh Guleri.
“We have many sub-centres without staff, but our teams have been deputed there to carry out the inoculation,” he said.
So far, more than 35,000 people have been inoculated in the district. Of them, about 20,000 are senior citizens with co-morbidities which is an achievement given the district’s topography.
