71 lakh anti-Covid jabs administered in J&K

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir has seemingly overcome the hesitancy among the masses towards Covid-19 vaccination as over 71 lakh jabs have been administered in a span of a few months. J&K’s Health department, which oversees the vaccination drive, has revealed that over 57 lakh Covid jabs have been administered in the age group of 45-year and above while over 14 lakh jabs have been administered in the age group of 18-44 years.

As per the details shared by the Health department, over 57.26 lakh vaccination doses have been administered among the above 45-year age group, including healthcare and frontline workers.

   

The vaccination drive among this age group started on January 16.

While over 14 lakh vaccination doses have been administered among people in the age group of 18-44 years, the number of Covid jabs among this age group is lower as the Government of India started the vaccination drive in J&K for below 45-year age group from June 1.

In J&K, 12 districts – Anantnag, Kulgam, Budgam, Bandipora, Shopian, Baramulla, Ganderbal, Pulwama Jammu, Rajouri, Samba and Poonch have achieved the target of 100 percent vaccination in the age group of above 45-year.

In Kashmir division barring Srinagar and Kupwara, all other eight districts have also achieved the 100 percent target of vaccination among age group of over 45 years.

As per the data shared by the Union Health Ministry, in J&K 13,28,862 first doses have been administered among the population in the age group of 18-44 years, while over 50 thousand have been fully vaccinated with second dose as well.

A senior Health department official, however, said that there was still hesitancy among the people about the vaccination in Srinagar.

“Though Srinagar district is mostly an urban area where people are educated, the hesitancy level among them is higher in comparison to other districts. We have to take vaccination centres to people rather than waiting for them to come out to get vaccinated,” he said.

The overall percentage of vaccination among the age group of above 45 years in J&K is 99.28 percent.

When the vaccination drive started in the Kashmir division, rumours and hesitancy among the people were main obstacles in it.

However, as per the officials, the healthcare workers, instead of waiting for people to come to vaccination centres, started a door-to-door vaccination drive which helped achieve the desired results of administering over 28 lakh anti-Covid jabs.

From roping in influencers, prominent doctors, religious leaders, the authorities in Kashmir division used almost every possible way to remove vaccine hesitancy.

The decision to administer vaccines to the people at home instead of waiting for them to come to the vaccination centres changed the whole game and the number of people coming forward for vaccination increased manifold.

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