Last Updated on May 14, 2021 at 10:55 am
As new covid cases consistently grow in J&K UT, people are facing hardships to get themselves vaccinated. Many people complained that they could not register for vaccination even after trying multiple times as they always found slots closed.
J&K administration has started vaccination drive for people belonging to 18-44 age group in two districts Jammu and Srinagar from May 01. However, remaining 18 districts of UT are still waiting for vaccination drive in their region.
One local said that they have been trying to register for vaccination from May 01 but couldn’t find any empty slot since then. He complained that government is putting in more effort in campaigns for motivating people than ensuring that vaccines are available for everyone. Many people are waiting to get their second dose of vaccine.
State Immunisation Officer assured that more vaccines will be arriving soon and they will ramp up vaccination drive as soon as that happens. He also said that main vaccine in J&K will remain Covishield. Another J&K resident said that he could not get vaccinated even after booking his slot as when he went to the centre, it was closed.
Government data mentions that over 27 lakh people have been vaccinated in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory so far. Around 22.5 lakh beneficiaries have received their first dose, while second dose has been given to over 5 lakh people. Government authorities are working to administer three lakh Covid vaccine doses per day and store 50 lakh in cold chain.
India launched Phase-I of the National Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy on 16th January 2021 in which Health Care Workers and Front Line Workers were inoculated. Phase-II was initiated later to include people with more than 45 years of age.
Health Ministry prescribed that beneficiary must be registered. Vaccinator must verify such people’s identity through Photo ID Proof prior to the vaccination. Aadhar Card, Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) Voter ID, Passport, Driving License, PAN Card, NPR Smart Card or Pension Document with a photograph can be used to verify identity.
On 29th April, J&K’s Lieutenant Governor’s Advisor Baseer Ahmad Khan said that J&K administration has ordered 1.25 crore doses of vaccines and they will launch an aggressive drive soon.
