SHILLONG, Aug 26: In spite of the challenges posed by vaccine hesitancy, the Health department is targeting to vaccinate at least 75 per cent of the eligible population by the end of September.
“We are targeting to complete 50 to 60 per cent within this month and we should be able to achieve a minimum of 75 percent by the end of next month,” Principal Secretary of Health department, Sampath Kumar told The Shillong Times on Thursday.
Kumar said that the efforts put in by the government to address the issue of vaccine hesitancy in all the districts are bearing positive results.
“We have tried to explain and educate the people on the misinformation about the vaccine. We have managed to mobilise various groups and have involved the traditional institutions to help us in this awareness campaign,” he said.
The government organised small group meetings to counsel people on the need for vaccination, he said, and added, “It is for this reason we have been able to cross 50 percent.”
The number of testing per day was 5000-6000 but it has now come down to 3000-4000 due to a decrease in the number of cases which has come about due to the successes achieved in the vaccination drives, Kumar said.
Stating that they have managed to vaccinate the most “vulnerable” section of the population, the official said that almost 80 per cent of the city’s population have been administered the vaccine.
“The vulnerable section consists of the population which is very mobile. The major concern is that they are office goers, drivers and shopkeepers who interact with a large number of people each day. We have encouraged the vulnerable sections to take the vaccine since they are most likely to spread the virus,” Kumar said.
Arguing that the situation in rural areas was different, he said that out of the 6400-odd villages in the state, they are cases being reported from only around 500.
“It is a big milestone that 50 percent of our population has got some form of protection,” Kumar said, referring to the number of people vaccinated so far.
The Health official also revealed that they had collected and conducted genome sequencing of 40 random samples each from East Khasi Hills and West Khasi Hills on August 20 and all of them were confirmed to be of the Delta variant.
Kumar also stated that they now have a laboratory in the city to do the genome sequencing and added that they have been conducting the genome testing on a weekly basis.
Cautioning against complacency, the official stressed that people should not let their guard down just because the number of cases has come down.
“This is a very critical period. It is a good thing that our people are strictly following the protocols. We need to take precautions till we vaccinate each and every citizen,” he said.
Pointing out that public health experts have warned of a third wave, Kumar said, “We don’t know if there will be a third wave.”
