Rajasthan
A shot of hope: Rajasthan’s Nagaur village sets an example in vaccination | Jaipur News
JAIPUR: A nondescript village, Khudi Kalan, in Nagaur district has set an example as 100% of its population above 60 years had taken at least one dose of the Covid vaccine till May1. The result has also astonished the local authorities that claimed that they have not recorded any Covid-19 deaths in this age group while the fatalities in this age bracket are very common across villages.
In the 45+ category, the village vaccinated 70% of its population till May 3. The erratic supply of vaccines has prevented the village from attaining 100% score in the mid-age group to become the first village among the 44,672 in the state to achieve this feat. The village has 2,532 persons above 60 years of age as per the latest voter list. Till May 12 they ended up vaccinating 2,641, the additional 109 were from nearby villages. The village has a population of 21,000.
The village is like any other settlement with a highdegree of vaccination hesitancy fuelled by misinformation such as it leads to impotency, side-effects to surface in 2-3 years, decreases life expectancy etc.
Here the villagers thought differently which make them lead the vaccination march. The district administration approached the village core committee members to identify those who have a strong influence.
“A senior secondary government school principal, Asha worker and ANM, along with the elected representatives like Sarpanch Jass Ram were found to have direct or indirect contacts with most of the houses. The school principal played a pivotal role by encouraging teachers who further communicated messages of vaccination through students. Secondly, the Asha worker and ANM started door-todoor campaigning convincing the families for vaccinations,” said Bhawani Singh Hapawat, district nodal officer, Nagaur.
The mix of traditional and modern means of communication was used to dispel the myths. Keeping social distancing in mind, small skits and plays were held at places where elderly spent time in the morning and evening. Once the lockdown was announced, the format changed with Asha worker going from door-to-door showing skits and plays to the families.
“I visited 306 houses to show ladies visual content including news reports of how only vaccines can help to fight the virus,” said Kavita Pemaram, an Asha worker.
In the 45+ category, the village vaccinated 70% of its population till May 3. The erratic supply of vaccines has prevented the village from attaining 100% score in the mid-age group to become the first village among the 44,672 in the state to achieve this feat. The village has 2,532 persons above 60 years of age as per the latest voter list. Till May 12 they ended up vaccinating 2,641, the additional 109 were from nearby villages. The village has a population of 21,000.
The village is like any other settlement with a highdegree of vaccination hesitancy fuelled by misinformation such as it leads to impotency, side-effects to surface in 2-3 years, decreases life expectancy etc.
Here the villagers thought differently which make them lead the vaccination march. The district administration approached the village core committee members to identify those who have a strong influence.
“A senior secondary government school principal, Asha worker and ANM, along with the elected representatives like Sarpanch Jass Ram were found to have direct or indirect contacts with most of the houses. The school principal played a pivotal role by encouraging teachers who further communicated messages of vaccination through students. Secondly, the Asha worker and ANM started door-todoor campaigning convincing the families for vaccinations,” said Bhawani Singh Hapawat, district nodal officer, Nagaur.
The mix of traditional and modern means of communication was used to dispel the myths. Keeping social distancing in mind, small skits and plays were held at places where elderly spent time in the morning and evening. Once the lockdown was announced, the format changed with Asha worker going from door-to-door showing skits and plays to the families.
“I visited 306 houses to show ladies visual content including news reports of how only vaccines can help to fight the virus,” said Kavita Pemaram, an Asha worker.
