Srinagar: A village in north Kashmir district of Bandipora became the first place in the country to achieve 100 per cent vaccination of its adult population against deadly COVID-19.
A heath department official said that village Weyan is just 28 km from district headquarters Bandipora, but a distance of 18 km has to be covered on foot due to non-availability of motorable road. “Teams of health workers were constituted to vaccinate the nomads living in the village as they had no access to internet and were unable to book slots of vaccination online,” he said.
He said the task proved to be more difficult as many nomadic families had gone to higher reaches to graze their cattle. “After facing all the difficulties and initial hesitancy, all the people above 18 years were vaccinated in the village,” he added.
Reacting to the achievement, Media Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor J&K Yatish Yadav said that J&K has raised the bar on 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 wrote on micro-blogging site twitter.
J&K has so far achieved 73 per cent vaccination in the above 45 age group, almost double the national average. Meanwhile, south Kashmir district of Shopian has recorded 100 per cent vaccination while the lowest 39.13 per cent vaccination took place in Kupwara in above 45 age group followed by Srinagar with 48 per cent. (UNI)