Hundreds of persons including frontline workers and specially-abled persons were inoculated with the Covid-19 vaccine on Thursday during the second day of the ongoing mass vaccination drive being held in the summer capital Srinagar.
The vaccination drive is being held by the Srinagar district administration for the population more vulnerable to the Covid-19 virus in the 18 to 44 age group.
47 vaccination camps located at schools and health-care centres right since the morning saw a huge rush of people arriving to get vaccinated.
Officials said those who got a dose of the vaccine on Thursday included shopkeepers, labourers, employees on Covid duty, specially-abled persons, children from orphanages and others who are found to be more vulnerable to the pandemic.
“In view of the huge rush we added three additional vaccination camps today. This will ensure that the vaccine is easily accessible to more people,” said an official.
The officials said that on-ground checks are being carried out to make sure that vaccination is held smoothly. They said people are also being informed about the vaccination programme with the help of social media.
” Journalists, lawyers, shopkeepers, street vendors, tourism/hotel industry, transporters, laborers, widows, specially-abled, orphans, employees on covid duty/active field presence. Please don’t miss the jab,” Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Muhammad Aijaz Asad wrote on Twitter.
Officials said one of the focus areas of the vaccination drive was to ensure that the maximum number of persons related to tourism trade get vaccinated.
Manzoor Ahmed Wangnoo, chairman, Nigeen Tourist Traders Association said that the tourism players were fully cooperating with the officials to ensure that those associated with the tourism industry don’t miss the vaccination.
“Senior officials and members of our association are working in tandem to ensure that tourism related persons get vaccinated at their designated centre at Nigeen Club,” Wangnoo said.
The persons in-charge of vaccination at different camps told Greater Kashmir that there was a better response to the mass vaccination programme on Thursday. They said all the Covid-related SOPs such as maintaining social distance at the vaccination centres were being followed.
Abdul Aziz Ganai, ward officer and in-charge of a vaccination camp located at a government school in Habak said that the vaccination has taken place smoothly for the last two days.
“We vaccinated over 200 persons from the past two days. Our primary focus was the target groups. The rumours regarding ill effects of vaccination are causing some reluctance among people but we are trying our best to spread the right information. We used the public addressing systems and also took help from Masjids to create awareness among people about vaccination,” Ganai said.