PRINCE KUMAR
Ranchi, Feb 3: Vaccination among the 15 to 17 years age group has become a challenge for the state government where 17 districts of the state are in the red zone which means the vaccination rate is below 50%. The information came to the fore after the state’s health department released the data on Wednesday.
Out of 23,98,000 eligible beneficiaries among the 15 to 17 years age group for vaccination, as many as 10,53,549 have got their first jab, while 11,084 have been administered with both the doses.
On the issue of low vaccination, health officials said that the opening of the schools will help in getting a boost in the vaccination drive, where more students will get vaccinated after the camp is set up on the school premises.
“Awareness campaigns are going to play a crucial role in making the parents aware so that the parents give their consent to get their child vaccinated. As the vaccination is not mandatory for anyone and it is beneficial for their own health and immunity, in such a case creating awareness is the only way left to administer more vaccine shots,” a health official said.
On the issue of low vaccination among teenagers, Ranchi vaccination nodal officer, Dr Shashi Bhushan Khalkho said that vaccination camps are organised around the city and even in the school premises but poor awareness has resulted in low vaccination.
“After the opening of schools we will again organise camps in the school premises by preparing clusters so that more students get vaccinated,” he said.
Among the 24 districts, the Koderma district stands out with 74% vaccination, where out of 52,067 eligible beneficiaries 38,412 have got their first shot.
Apart from Koderma, the districts with more than 50% vaccination include Bokaro (55%), East Singhbhum (63%), Gumla (62%), Latehar (59%), Palamu (52%) and Simdega(58%).
Ranchi (35%) along with Pakur (26%), Dhanbad (31%), Lohardaga (32%), Sahibganj (33%) and Deoghar (34%) districts have the lowest vaccination rate among the teenagers.
