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Devotees inoculated at camps set up on Baisakhi in Ambala
The health department has also started mobile vaccination drive through eight ambulances, mostly covering workplaces; so far, around two lakh doses have been administered the vaccine in the district
To ramp up the Covid-19 vaccination drive during the four-day Tika Utsav, the Ambala health department set up camps outside gurdwaras to cover the eligible devotees on Baisakhi on Tuesday.
At an inoculation camp in Durga Nagar area, a team of health workers motivated the residents to get the vaccine on the auspicious day.
Poorna Rani, a woman in her late 90s, who came for the langar at Gurdwara Singh Sabha also got the jab at the camp.
The nonagenarian’s daughter-in-law, Poonam, 58, said, “My husband has already got the jab and I got it today. I brought my mother-in-law along for the langar and now she is getting the vaccine at her own will.”
Another woman, Balwinder Kaur, 60, said that despite resistance from her neighbours due to the fear of vaccine side effects, she got the jab to prove them wrong. “Earlier, we were anxiously waiting for the vaccine. Now when it is available, why should we hesitate in getting it?” Kaur said.
To create awareness among the citizens, announcements were made on loudspeakers about the free vaccination camp.
Dr Ashish, in-charge of Chourmastpur health centre in the city’s rural area, said that it was difficult to motivate the rural residents. “But we are trying to tell them about the benefits of the vaccine. If they seem hesitant to health centres, we ask them to get the jabs at such camps organised in community halls or religious places,” the officer said.
The department has also started mobile vaccination drive and deployed eight ambulances in the district for the same, mostly giving jabs at workplaces, including banks.
Civil surgeon Dr Kuldeep Singh said that as the vaccination drive is moving forward, resistance among beneficiaries, especially in the rural population, is going down.
“Religious places have played an important role in promoting the vaccine. Announcements made from places of worship have had a genuine impact on human psyche,” he said.
Ambala has inoculated — both first and second doses — more than two lakh beneficiaries. The district has so far reported 15,845 positive cases and 174 deaths. On Tuesday, 137 fresh cases and a death, was reported and the active caseload stood at 1,520.
