A remote hamlet in Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir is the first village in India to vaccinate all its adult population against COVID-19, said officials on Tuesday. They said, the credit for this goes to the healthcare workers who determined efforts shot Weyan hamlet, with an adult population of 362 according to the national fame.
An official of the health department said, “The village is located only 28 kilometres away from Bandipora district headquarters, but a distance of 18 kilometres has to be covered by foot as there is no motorable road.”
He said the task of vaccinating all the residents was even more difficult as the village consists of nomadic families who go to higher reaches for grazing their livestock. “There is no internet access in the village. So, it was not possible for the residents to get appointments for vaccination like the way people in urban areas do,” Bashir Ahmed Khan, Chief Medical Officer, Bandipora said while explaining the difficulty faced by the healthcare workers.
Commenting on the achievement, Yatish Yadav, media advisor to Jammu and Kashmir government, said the Union territory was raising the bar in the Covid vaccination drive. “#JammuAndKashmirModel. And we thought up to now that Everest was the highest and toughest peak of Himalayas. But, some journey brings a new light, a new life. Team J&K raising the bar on vaccination drive,” he tweeted.
J&K did it: First village in India to vaccinate 100% of 18+ population. https://t.co/IVI0SvBd8I
— Yatish Yadav (@ByYatishYadav) June 7, 2021
The officials said, despite the initial vaccine hesitancy, Jammu and Kashmir has achieved 70 per cent vaccination in the 45+ age group, almost double the national average. The vaccination in the village was covered under ‘J&K model’, which is a 10-point strategy to vaccinate entire eligible population at accelerated pace.
