‘Walk-in facility in rural areas likely to start soon’
JAMSHEDPUR: Walk-in vaccination facility is likely to be available for beneficiaries in the 18-44 age group in rural areas of the three districts under Kolhan division, officials said on Saturday. However, no official directive has been issued by the state government in this regard till now.
“There is no official directive from the state government as yet for walk-in vaccination in rural areas but it is anticipated to start anytime. We’ve done the ground work for the same so that we can start it as soon as we get the directive and supply of vaccines for the 18-44 group. We have four vaccination centres running in rural areas at Baheragora, Ghatsila, Chakulia and Bagbera, where Covishield is being administered,” Nitish Kumar Singh, Jamshedpur SDO, said.
The move will benefit people of rural areas being deprived of vaccination, which is only available through online slot booking, due to technological backwardness, officials said. “Rural people have been facing problem in booking slots online,” said Singh.
Beneficiaries are required to produce Aadhaar card and ID proof showing that they reside or work in Jharkhand to avail the walk-in vaccination facility in rural areas. “Nine centres are also functioning with Covaxin, but they are currently awaiting supply of doses,” Singh said.
He said people who don’t have smartphones or unable to book vaccination slots in rural areas can also visit the nearest Pragya Kendra, where operators book slots for free.
As per Singh, at least 4,000 persons in the 18-44 group were being vaccinated daily in urban areas of East Singhbhum district, while the same hovered around 700-800 in rural areas. “We can expand and hike the number of vaccination anytime depending on the supply of vaccines,” he said.
Jamshedpur MP Bidyut Baran Mahato earlier wrote to Jamshedpur DC Suraj Kumar and requested CM Hemant Soren to start walk-in vaccination in rural areas, as people from adjacent urban areas and West Bengal and Odisha got themselves vaccinated in rural vaccination centres by booking slots online. Subsequently, the state government had banned people from other states getting vaccinated in Jharkhand.