Most Jammu districts have 80% HCWs, elders given first COVID dose

Vaccination for the people in the 18-44-year age group has just begun in the Jammu region. However, most districts in the winter capital of the UT of Jammu & Kashmir have around 80% of their healthcare/frontline workers and 45-plus population inoculated with at least the first dose of COVID vaccine.

Since the fresh census has not been conducted this year due to the spread of the pandemic, health department officials in Jammu Division’s 10 districts claim they have been vaccinating their population based on a formula that projects an increase in the population since 2011 when the previous census was conducted.

“To inoculate the people without the census being conducted, the government applies crude birth and death rate formula to estimate the average increase in the population in the past 10 years,” said Dr Fareed Ahmed, Chief Medical Officer, Ramban.

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Most health department officials, however, say there could be variations in the total number of people vaccinated while applying the projected population formula, as “some people are still not ready to be vaccinated due to various religious and other beliefs”.

“There are other people who’re living in inaccessible areas in the upper reaches of Jammu. We cannot include them in the total number of people vaccinated,” said CMO Doda Mohammad Yaqoob.

“With the involvement of different department functionaries, we have also been trying to convince the hesitant population to come forward and get the shot,” Chief Medical Officer Jammu, Dr JP Singh said, who claimed to have vaccinated with the first dose 106% of the 45year–plus population in the winter capital (Jammu).

“When we say we’ve vaccinated 100 per cent of the population, it doesn’t mean the entire population has been delivered both the doses of the vaccine. Some might have received both the doses and others — any number between 1 and 100,” he said.

The CMO Jammu said he was given a target of inoculating 3, 51, 890 people in the 45-year-plus category, “but so far we’ve vaccinated 3, 73, 955 people”.

Asked who these extra 22065 people vaccinated in Jammu District are, he said: “people from other districts, who have settled in Jammu.”

As far as the 18-44-year category of the population is concerned, Dr Singh said he has been given a target of vaccinating with at least the first dose some 7,69,722 people. “We have so far vaccinated around 1,17, 064 (about 15%) people”, he said.

In Kathua district, CMO AK Choudhary said, 80% of the targeted population in the age group 45year-plus have got their first dose, 14% second dose while in the age group 18-44 years, only 18% people have been vaccinated. As per the census of 2011, the total population of Kathua town was 6,16,435. Around 92% health care workers (HCWs) in the border town of Kathua have got their first jab while 55% have been administered the second dose. As far as frontline workers (FLWs) are concerned, 134% have got their first jab and 71% the second dose.

In Reasi, 79.44% healthcare workers (HCWs) have got their first jab of either Covaxin or Covishield while only 44.25% of the HCWs have been vaccinated with the second dose. As far as the frontline workers (FLWs) are concerned, as per the official figures available, 103.45% of the population has received the first dose while only 54.35% of the population has got their second jab.

Similarly, in the age groups 45 plus, 69.67% of the population has got its first dose of the vaccine while the second dose has been given only to 7.14% people. In the age group 18-44, 14.72% of the population has got at least the first dose.

In the age group 45-plus, the border town of Rajouri has 87% of the people given the first dose and 9% the second dose as per CMO Rajouri, Dr Shamim Bhatti. While 91% of the HCWs have been given their first jab, 57% have got their second jab. Around 97% of FLWs have been administered the first dose and 56% second dose in the Rajouri town. Around 16% of the people in the age group 18-44 have also been vaccinated.

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In Poonch town, 88% of the HCWs have been vaccinated with the first dose and 56% with the second dose. Around 84% of the FLWs have also got their first dose and 49% second dose. Only 5% people in the age group 18-44 have been inoculated in Poonch District, a District spokesperson said.

In Udhampur town, the Northern Command headquarters of the Indian Army has 99.70% of the HCWs vaccinated with the first dose and 77% with the second dose, CMO Dr KC Dogra said. 92% of the FLWs have also got their first jab and 70% second. 21% of the people in the age group 18-44 have also been vaccinated. In the age group 45-60, 79.24% people have been given the first dose and 7% the second dose. In the age group 60 plus, 67% people have got their first dose of the vaccine and 20% second dose.

In Jammu’s hilly Doda district, the CMO concerned, Mohammad Yaqoob said 97% of the HCWs have got their first jab of the vaccine and 52% second dose. As far as FLWs are concerned, 83% of the workers have been administered the first dose and 51% second dose. Mere 5% of the people have been inoculated in the age group 18-44. 74% of the people in the age group 45 plus have been given the first dose and 14% the second dose.

“Our field functionaries have been facing an uphill task of vaccinating people. The herding community has climbed to inaccessible areas. As such our teams are spending day in and day out in those areas to vaccinate the nomads,” he said.

In Kishtwar town, popularly known as ‘Mini-Kashmir’, Dr Ravinder Manhas said 73% of the HCWs have been given the first jab and 41% second. While 97% of the FLWs have been administered the first dose of the vaccine, 48% have been given the second dose. Just 10% of the people have been vaccinated in the age group 18-44. While 80% of the people in the age group 45 plus have been given the first dose of the vaccine in Kishtwar town only 12% have been given the second dose.

In Samba district, as per a health department official, 106% of the HCWs have been vaccinated with the first dose and 71% with the second dose of the vaccine. The border town has 94% of the FLWs vaccinated with the first dose and 54% with the second dose. Only 11% of the population has been vaccinated in the age group 18-44. As far as people above 45 age category are concerned, 101% people have got their first jab and 17% second.

In Ramban district, according to Dr Fareed Ahmed, the CMO concerned, 93% of the HCWs have been vaccinated with the first dose of COVID vaccine and 64% with the second dose. As far as the FLWs are concerned, 126% have been given the first dose and 71% the second dose. Just 13% of the population has been inoculated in the age group 18-44. In the age group 45-plus, 79% of the people have been given the first dose and 14% the second dose.