Both Punjab and Manipur have an overall vaccination coverage below the national average. Punjab has covered 81% of the population with first dose and 50.2% with second dose and Manipur has covered 57% with one dose and 43% with both doses.
However, two areas – four districts of Doaba in Punjab and hill districts in Manipur – stand out particularly because despite the attempts made by district administration very few are turning up for vaccination. The districts in Doaba include Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar. “Despite the best efforts, these districts remain hesitant,” said a senior official, who did not wish to be identified.
In the hill districts of Manipur, there is vaccine hesitancy and unwillingness to get inoculated. Election commission has asked poll-bound Manipur to increase its vaccination coverage. The coverage is particularly lower in hill districts.
V Vumlunmang, additional chief secretary of Manipur, told ET: “The coverage under vaccination is not based on census figures. Most of the time when people visit the field, they find the number of people to be vaccinated higher than the existing figure.”
“There is hesitancy and unwillingness in some parts which we are gradually overcoming. There was an unwillingness in Ukhrul and we visited the site and received cooperation. Our people are visiting the areas where there is hesitancy,” he added.
A senior official, who does not want to be named, told ET, “Churches are co-operating as there were messages and rumours in social media and WhatsApp bringing religious angles in the vaccination. Churches are assisting us in reaching out to people and campaigning against misinterpretation of religious texts.”
The elections to the 60-member Manipur assembly would be held in two phases on February 27 and March 3 and in Punjab on February 20.
What has worried the Centre is the increasing positivity in vaccine hesitant districts. Doaba districts have high positivity ranging between 13% and 21% – Jalandhar 21.31%, Hoshiarpur 20.31%, Kapurthala 17.3% and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar 12.94%.
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