Out of 27, as many as 14 districts are tribal dominated in Gujarat. In Dahod, Banaskantha, Panchmal, Narmada Mahisagar etc, district level plans were formulated for ensuring success of vaccination against Covid. The District Immunization Officers were authorized to formulate vaccination plansas per particular issues and problems in their respective areas. State level meetings were organized to deliberate on these problems. Good work was appreciated, new suggestions were adopted, and the health infrastructure was strengthened. All these measures culminated in vaccination of 60 per cent of people in the 45+ age group in Gujarat, wheredistricts dominated by tribal people are on top in terms of vaccination against Covid.

In Banaskantha district adjoining Rann of Kutch, there is no village within the radius of 90km. Here, administration took the help of the local network for Covid vaccination. In a state having population of over 60 million, Gujarat has a number ofchallengesfor conducting vaccination against Covid. In Banaskhanta, for example, only 13.27 per cent population is urban, while 86.7 per cent reside in rural areas. Encouraging people there to get vaccinated was a challenging task. The health department, therefore,sought help from district andlocal level representatives in these areas. State vaccination officer and Deputy Director Urban Health Dr Nayan Kumar Popatlal Jani said that to increase confidence among tribal groups for vaccination, they took help from local groups. Almost every family in Banaskhanta district belongs to the dairy business. Through the dairy product network, the myths and misconceptions regarding Covid vaccine were busted. In Dahod, teachers were mobilized to convince people for vaccination, who acted as a bridge between the administration and common people. The availability of ILR (Ice Lynx Refrigerator), cold chain, deep freezer in all primary health centers helped in preserving vaccines at the micro level. Presence of ANMs at all primary health centersalso helped in vaccination of local people.

Dr Jani said that no post of ANM is vacantat any PHC. That’s why, lack of human resource was never the problem. Dr Bijendar Singh, the District Immunization Officer and District Quality Assurance Medical Officer from Mahisagarpur said that they had to face a lot of problems in many regions. In Malibadh community, only 20 per centpopulation got vaccinated. An officer of belonging to local community had to come forward to get vaccinated, and it convinced people that the vaccineswere safe.Special vaccination sessions at night were conducted for daily wage laborers, who form a major chunk of local community in Mahisagarpur. These peopleleave home early in the morning and come back at night. Anganwadi, ASHA, and health workers were roped in at district level, while at the state level the vaccination drive was conducted with the helpof administrative officers, health secretary, and representatives of UNICEF and UNDP.

Some effective district level measures

• The District Immunization Officer in Mahisagarpur district took the initiative for conducting RT-PCR tests or Covid vaccinationon every 10^thday for the local shopkeepers.

• Myths and misconceptions about Covid vaccinesdoing the rounds on social media were busted at the local level itself, with the support of the media.

• In communities having doubts about vaccines, officials and their families came forward to get vaccinated and assured local residents about the safety of vaccines.

• 15,000 super spreader health workers were inoculated against Covid through a 3-day special camp.

Two crore doses of Covid vaccinesadministered

In the state of Gujarat having a population of about seven crore (6.48 crore), 2 crore doses of Covid vaccineshave been administered till June 12. The second dose of the vaccine has also been given to 45 lakh people. The state has set a target of inoculating three lakh people daily with the help of administrative units.

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