Assam: Seniors in hill districts, rural belts resist ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ vaccination drive

GUWAHATI: Vulnerable and uneducated seniors, especially in the hill districts and rural belts of lower and northern Assam, are resisting the Prime Minister’s ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ programme aiming to bring vaccination to the doorstep though this age group recorded the highest number of deaths in the second wave.
Sources in the state health department told TOI on Wednesday that out of around 5,000 Covid deaths reported in the state during the second wave of the pandemic, counted since April 1, nearly half were of 60 plus citizens.
“Among the total Covid cases, we lost 4,972 people in Assam during the second wave. This time the health department is not segregating the Covid deaths and those with comorbidities and even accident injuries,” said a senior official of the health department.
Out of 4,972 deaths, as per official reports, 1,610 were of 60 to 75 years and another 711 were above 76 years. Altogether, 2,321 deaths, accounting for around 47% of the total deaths in the second wave in the state, were of 60 plus people. Most importantly, out of 2,321 deaths reported among the 60 plus population, the source said only about 400 had got at least the first dose of the Covid vaccine.
Despite this grim reality, health department officials in three Garo villages, especially Phulaguri Garo Gaon and Sotai Garo Gaon near Balipara in northern Assam's Sonitpur district, found tremendous resistance to the vaccination.
“About two weeks ago, our officials could not enter two Garo villages because of the rumours of death and sterility from the vaccination. The situation is improving but we are concerned about the refusal,” said Dr Achyut Hazarika, sub-divisional medical and health officer, who went to the villages to convince them about the benefits of the vaccine. Several hundred people in these villages are yet to get the first dose. Among the unvaccinated, there are young people, too, but the elderly remain the most vulnerable.
Interestingly, similar rumours pushed Nagaland’s low literacy Kiphire district to the bottom in the first dose coverage tally in the country till recently. Here, too, the religion factor came into play as most of the believers are Christians like in the case of the Garo villages of Sonitpur. However, the health department has managed to convince the Muslims living in the riverine belt of lower Assam, who are now extending support to the vaccination programme.
At the Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) itself, 71% of the Covid deaths in the ICUs were patients who were not vaccinated. “The vaccine has a definite role in preventing deaths. We observed that comparatively, symptoms are low among the vaccinated,” said GMCH principal, Dr Achyut Baishya.
While the Centre has set November deadline to vaccinate the entire 2.13 crore estimated eligible population of the state with the first dose, about 2.09 crore (2,09,15,376) were inoculated with the first dose till Wednesday evening. For the second dose, however, the corresponding figure is around 1.12 crore (1,12,25,452).