Directs Intensifying Covid vaccination drive
SRINAGAR, JUNE 26: Emphasising that vaccination is the only real weapon to stop Covid 19, Advisor to Lieutenant Governor Baseer Ahmad Khan today directed the officers to evolve a mechanism to intensify the coronavirus vaccination to cover maximum number of people.
He passed these directions during a meeting at SKICC here to review Covid management and progress on account of vaccination drive in Srinagar and Kupwara districts.
The meeting was attended by Director SKIMS Soura, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Director General Family Welfare J&K, Principal Government Medical College Srinagar, Commissioner Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Labour Commissioner J&K, Director Rural Development Department, Director Tourism Department Kashmir, Director Urban Local Bodies Kashmir, Director Health Services Kashmir, Regional Transport Officer Kashmir, ACD Srinagar, District Social Welfare Officer Srinagar, Chief Medical Officer Srinagar.
Deputy Commissioner Kupwara alongwith other officers attended the meeting through video conferencing.
Advisor laid emphasis for expediting the vaccination to cover maximum number of people against Covid infection with special focus on the areas which have shown low achievement of targets in respect of vaccination in Srinagar and Kupwara districts. The Advisor further mentioned that every activity is subordinate to vaccination and this message should be loud and clear. He directed all the line departments to work in close coordination to get the job done.
Reiterating his message, the Advisor said that resumption of normal life and activities are subordinate to completion of vaccination drive as this is the only magic bullet available to fight against pandemic.
Advisor Baseer Khan also emphasized to accelerate awareness programme in areas which are registering low vaccination. Teams should be specifically constituted headed by medical fraternity to educate the people about the benefits of vaccination and for clearing the doubts due to rumour mongering.
He said that the prime objective behind organising vaccination awareness programmes is to bust the rumours and fallacies being shared on social media about vaccines.
He directed the Director Health Services Kashmir, Director General Family Welfare and Commissioner SMC to personally supervise the vaccination drives in every nook and corner of these districts and submit the daily reports on the format devised for the purpose so that evaluation of progress is done on day to day basis.
The Advisor said that he shall be personally monitoring the progress of vaccination on daily basis and shall be visiting the interior areas of Districts to judge the performance of camps especially the downtown area of Srinagar where the incidence of vaccination seems to be slow. He directed the officers to lay focus on the areas where vaccination process is slow in gaining momentum so that flip is given to vaccination drive. IEC activities should be made a regular feature in these areas where reluctance to vaccination is more. He also said that rumors have to be countered through awareness by experts from health department in collaboration with District administration, municipality and panchayats.
He said that word from the doctors shall have a cascading effect and they should visit the camps and inform the people about the need for inoculation. Advisor further said that the mobile teams set up by the health department should visit every nook and corner to give impetus to vaccination drive.
Medical experts who were present on the occasion also laid emphasis on the Covid vaccination and assured follow up action on the directions given by the Advisor. They said that people should take advantage of vaccination drive so that the society comes out of pandemic.