Noolpuzha in Wayanad district has become the first tribal panchayat in Kerala to be fully vaccinated. Of the total 22,616 people of the panchayat who are above the age of 18 years, 21, 964 received first dose vaccines. This is even as the state health department is gearing up for a mass vaccination drive from August 9 to 31. Noolpuzha is the second grama Panchayat in the state with the largest tribal population.
There are 7,602 tribal people in the panchayat who are above 18. Of this, 7,353 people received the first dose, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced in a Facebook post. 6,975 people were vaccinated in a special vaccination camp. Those who are left from the drive are those who contracted the COVID-19 disease in the last three months and those who are in the primary contact list. The vaccination camps were conducted in five schools in various parts of the panchayat and the beneficiaries were brought to the camps in the vehicles arranged by the Tribal Department. Those who weren't able to attend the camps and those who were bed ridden were inoculated at home. Those who live in the hamlets without any identity cards special arrangement was made through the Co-WIN App and vaccination was done using a reference id of other inhabitants.
Meanwhile the state is preparing for a mass COVID-19 vaccination drive from August 9 to 31 bringing postgraduate students, lower primary and upper primary school teachers, and final-year degree students under its ambit.The decision, according to the state Health department officials, is a prelude to the opening of educational institutions. This decision comes after an expert committee recommended the Kerala government to take steps for reopening of schools. The state is contemplating reopening of schools after reports from the World Health Organisation on Wednesday said children need to be vaccinated to attend schools. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had recommended to the Centre to consider reopening primary schools as the first step since children will be able to handle the infection much better as compared to adults.
The Kerala government will also procure vaccines and supply them to private hospitals at the purchase price for increasing vaccination in the state. Commercial bodies, industrial organisations and Non-Government Organisations can conduct vaccination drives for the people in association with civic bodies and private hospitals. Shopping malls will start operating in the state on Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. with certain COVID-19-19 restrictions. Entry will be allowed to those people who have taken at least one dose of the vaccine, who were infected earlier or those who have negative RT-PCR certificates. The malls will remain open from Monday to Saturday.
With IANS Inputs