Tarn Taran meets only 33% jab target as propaganda puts a damper on drive
At a time when people are queuing up to get jabbed in other parts of the state amid a shortage of the vaccine, the trend is otherwise in Tarn Taran district. Not only are people here reluctant to get inoculated, many outrightly reject even the existence of the virus. Out of 3.6-lakh inoculation target for people above 45 years of age, only 1.2 lakh (33%) has been jabbed so far since the drive started on March 1 in Tarn Taran, a district with 11.2-lakh population.
In comparison, other districts of Majha fared better. Gurdaspur district had the target to inoculate 5.29 lakh people and it jabbed 3.2 lakh (60%). Pathankot with a target of 2.25 lakh inoculated 1.42 lakh people (63%). Amritsar could meet 40% of its target of 5.3 lakh people.
The authorities had set a target of 8,000 jabs per day in the district with 87% rural population, but only 1,600 to 1,700 are turning up for getting vaccinated. The officials of the health department see misleading propaganda against the Covid-19 and the vaccination unleashed by the farmer unions as the main reason behind the hesitancy among the people.
“Our daily target is to vaccinate 8,000 people. However, only 1,600 to 1,700 people are turning up daily. On Friday, 1,622 people were inoculated. There has been hesitancy among the rural population. Our study shows that there has been negative propaganda against the vaccine as well as the coronavirus,” said Tarn Taran civil surgeon Dr Rohit Mehta.
A doctor, who didn’t wish to be named, said, “The leaders of farmer unions have been misleading the rural population. Also, fake messages on social media portraying the coronavirus as a conspiracy are also making rounds. In some villages, the health officials are not allowed to even test people.”
The leaders of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee have been holding meetings in villages to mobilise support for its May 20 Harike Pattan to Delhi march. During the meetings, KMSC leaders term Covid-19 as a “conspiracy” of the Centre to “sabotage” the farmers’ agitation.
Tarn Taran civil hospital’s SMO Dr Swaran Dhawan said, “A meeting was conducted by theDC after it had come to the fore that villagers preferring quacks over hospitals. There are reports that deaths in the villages are being underreported. Even symptomatic people don’t get themselves tested.”