Month on, the medicos in Gurez valley are yet to get inoculated for the first phase despite vials for the vaccine being transported to the snowbound areas back in January.
Sources said that the reason for not getting a COVID19 shot was the lack of specialists in Gurez and no training among the staff to carry forward the inoculation drive in this medical block.
They said that no dry run or mock drill had been conducted.
Citing the lack of specialists to monitor the rare reactions or complications arising from the vaccine, Block Medical Officer (BMO) Gurez Dr Tahira said that COVID19 vaccination had not yet been started in Gurez.
She said that the staff had no training and specialist to administer the vaccine among the medicos in the block.
When the first phase of inoculation for COVID19 was started in Jammu and Kashmir, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir P K Pole along with Deputy Commissioner Bandipora Owais Ahmad took a helicopter ride to deliver vials in Gurez on January 16.
Gurez valley has been cut off from Bandipora via road since December due to snowfall.
However, officials in Bandipora said that the valley being snowbound and weather in January being adverse they were not letting any exigency to occur due to vaccination which would have required advanced treatment outside the snowbound valley.
Now with some improvement in weather, internal roads cleared, and Tulail tehsil in Gurez valley also getting connected to Dawar in central Gurez, the administration said that the COVID19 inoculation would be conducted within a week.
DC Bandipora Owais Ahmad said that the adverse weather in Gurez hampered the specialist team from arriving in Gurez.
“Without them, we could not allow vaccines to be administered. Now with the improved weather, the specialist team is ready and will start the vaccination drive soon after arriving in Gurez within a week,” he said.