PRINCE KUMAR
Ranchi, May 23: Amid the fear of the fourth Covid wave hovering above heads, the vaccination for the 12-14 years age group, which is considered to be the most vulnerable, sees a very low turnout in the capital city where only 27% of the children have received their first dose.
However, districts including Simdega and Gumla are far ahead in the race of administering vaccination for the 12-14 years age group with 93% and 84% respectively.
Describing the success in achieving the highest rate of vaccination in the state, Simdega Civil Surgeon Dr P K Sinha said, “With the help of the education department and the schools in the district we have prepared a list of students eligible for vaccination in the age group of 12-14 years. After which we dispatched a vaccination team to every school for proper vaccination of every student.”
“We have also requested schools to do meetings with the parents and encourage them for getting their children vaccinated on the school campus itself,” he added.
Echoing the same, Gumla Civil Surgeon Dr Raju Kachhap said that it was a team effort of the vaccination team, administration, education department, schools, parents and children because of which such high vaccination percentage has been achieved in the age group of 12-14 years.
“Our basic approach was to visit every school and vaccinate a maximum number of students eligible for vaccination,” he added.
On the question of the low vaccination rate in Ranchi in comparison to Gumla and Simdega, Ranchi Civil Surgeon Dr Vinod Kumar doubted the correctness of the data and said that if students are not turning up then how can the vaccination rate rise.
The vaccination drive in charge of Ranchi Dr Shashi Bhushan Khalkho said that due to the low turnout of students for vaccination at the designated vaccination centre in the capital city, the vaccination rate is on the lower side in the district.
On the question of why did the district administration not follow the Gumla and Simdega model of vaccination where the vaccination team was dispatched school to school, Dr Khalkho said that Ranchi is a very big city than Gumla and Simdega and in the absence of funds, school to school visit was not possible.
“However, when the schools contacted us for vaccinating their students, we dispatched vaccination teams, but schools in far-flung areas of the district could not be approached in the absence of funds,” Dr Khalkho added.
Urging media houses of the district Dr Khalkho said, “We have placed our vaccination team at designated places all around the district and now media should mobilise the people of the district through various awareness campaigns to get their children vaccinated.”
