Himachal tribals break vaccine hesitancy

As most of them do not own smartphones, the registration is being done offline

Shimla: Tribals, mainly Buddhists, settled in Himachal Pradesh’s Spiti valley spread over the Himalayan peaks, have set an example for others in the country by demonstrating that vaccination is the only route out of this pandemic.

Officials shared that the entire elderly population – those above 60-years-old – in 13 panchayats of Kaza subdivision, a cold desert adjoining Tibet where there is shortage of health infrastructure, is now fully vaccinated. Those above 45-years-old have been provided the first vaccine dose.

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The world’s highest post office, Hikkam, located 15,000 feet above sea level and its nearby village of Komik and Langche were among the worst hit in the first wave of the pandemic last year.

“The vaccine coverage for those above the age of 60 years in Hikkam, Komik and Langche is 100 per cent,” Block Medical Officer Tenzin Norbu said.

He said the people there were not hesitant to take the vaccine. “Very soon we are going to start vaccination for those in the age group of 18 to 45,” he said.

Explaining the high trust in authorities, accredited social health activist (ASHA) Padma, who carried out the vaccination in Hikkam, said: “The drives to educate the locals encouraged them to support government efforts for boosting immunisation.”

“The understanding that a delay could cause significant mortality helps to overcome vaccine hesitancy,” she said.

Kaza, the headquarters of Spiti that supports a population of nearly 12,000, was the first in the state to sanitise the entire block to prevent the spread of coronavirus last year.

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