Poor vaccination rate as threat of new Covid variant looms
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: October 28, 2021 -

IT'S an irony that few weeks after the much-published launch of droneservice to deliver Covid-19 vaccine consignment to Karang Island in Bishnupur district, the latest update from the Union health ministry has listed Manipur at the bottom of the vaccination coverage chart.

On paper the government of Manipur seems to be doing everything at its disposal to achieve the vaccination goal but the ministry report clearly suggests that the-department concerned is lagging far behind in administering the vaccine doses to all the eligible beneficiaries as well as in convincing the citizens that taking the jab is the safe and surest means to avert severity of the virus infection.

As per the updated health ministry record; Mizoram, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh have covered nearly half or exceeded 50 per cent of the targeted population in terms of providing the second dose and their jab rate is better than the national average of 32 per cent.

Among the three north-eastern states, Mizoram's figure is most impressive especially taking into account that the state is still reeling under the virulent second wave of the pandemic with the number of daily positive cases hovering above the 500 mark for nearly three months.

As infection of such a sizeable number of people in the thinly populated state on a daily basis entails institutional service to the patients, it is obvious that the healthcare workers in the neighbouring state are working under tremendous pressure.

Amid such stressful situation, Mizoram topping the northeast by vaccinating 58 per cent of its eligible citizens underscores commitment and resilience of the frontline workers in tackling the infectious disease both within the hospital set-up and in reaching out to the eligible vaccine beneficiaries.

Contrary to logistical issues often cited as one of the factors for the state's ordinary performance in vaccine coverage, the latest ministry report noting that Arunachal Pradesh, despite its difficult terrain, geographical size far greater than Manipur and scattered population, has inoculated 50 per cent of the estimated population with the second jab.

Thus, there is every reason to suspect that the tardy vaccination rate in the state might be due to lack of enthusiasm and diligence among those entrusted to execute the vaccination task.

Even more embarrassing for Manipur, which the government authorities are projecting as if everything is inorder, is the ministry data clubbing the state with nine others including three in the northeast region as the worst performer in administering both doses of the vaccine.

On its part, the Union government has been doing everything possible to augment vaccine production to ensure safety of maximum numbers of the world's second largest population.

Realising that the first and foremost step towards averting another Covid-19 wave is much larger and faster investment in vaccine manufacturing the Centre has been scaling up vaccine production to make the battle effective before it is too late.

Similarly, the state needs to compliment the Centre's effort in averting newer and infectious waves of Covid-19.

Improvement in the pandemic situation might be an impediment in impressing upon the unvaccinated section of the population to take the jabs but such a naive concept needs to be eradicated with outright conveyance or reminders that a highly transmissible Covid variant has already been reported in some states and everybody would be vulnerable if there is unfounded doubt over efficacy of the vaccines being provided free of cost at government healthcare facilities.

Moreover, it is desired that the authorities focus on wider vaccination of the urban and suburban population as those settling in isolated places are comparativelysafer.