In Manipur, only 1,783 frontline health workers were vaccinated till date against 9,617 targeted even as the vaccination programme commenced a week ago.
While launching the COVID-19 vaccination programme on January 16 last, officials of the state Health department stated that a total of 9617 healthcare workers will receive vaccination in the first phase. However, in the first week of the vaccination programme, only 1,783 health workers received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, a report of the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare tabled during a press conference held on Friday showed.
While preparing for the vaccination programme, the state government had identified 39,991 of the 41,000 healthcare workers for vaccination and of them 9,617 were shortlisted as the first beneficiaries.
Giving reasons for low turnout of health workers for vaccination, director Dr N Shyamjai of National Health Mission, Manipur said that a majority of healthcare workers who have submitted their bio-data for the vaccination are in their reproductive ages. At the same time, he added that the vaccination programme is being done only four days in a week so that it does not disturb the normal services at the healthcare centres and other routine immunisation.
Apart from this, the majority of the public, including healthcare workers are reluctant to get vaccinated, he said and stressed the need for creating mass awareness on the COVID-19 and the ongoing vaccination programme.
State Health director K Rajo, on the other hand, stressed the need for the public to continue to follow COVID appropriate behaviour like wearing a face mask, maintaining social distancing and frequent washing of hands with soap and water or cleaning of hands with sanitizer while the vaccination programme is going on.
NNN