Despite sensitisation sessions, Kalaburagi remains Karnataka's least performing district in Covid vaccinations

As the state and the country celebrate a vaccination milestone, there is only one district in Karnataka that has achieved less than 70 per cent first dose vaccination: Kalaburagi, which is also the least performing district when it comes to Covid vaccination in the state.

Ironically, the district was in the limelight when it reported the first Covid death in India. The district's vaccination coverage at 68.55 per cent (first dose) is less than the state (84.86 per cent) and the national average for first dose coverage.

Out of eight districts in the state with more than 15 lakh adult population: Dakshina Kannada (17.15 lakh), Vijayapura (16.34 lakh), Belagavi (35.66 lakh), BBMP (91.70 lakh), Mysuru (24.38 lakh), Tumakuru (19.99 lakh), Ballari (20.68 lakh) and Kalaburagi (18.51 lakh), Kalaburagi has emerged as the worst performing one. Even on Lasika Utsava days like the last one held on PM Modi's birthday on September 17, while the state administered 31,43,598 doses, Kalaburagi managed to jab only 76,489 people.

Kalaburagi District Health Officer Dr Sharanabasappa Ganajalkhed attributed their inability to vaccinate the district's population to migration of its people for work and their unavailability in villages.

"Vaccination coverage is poor, only 30 per cent, in towns and areas like New Rehmat Nagar, Khanapur with a population of 50,000, and Hirapur. We are now identifying village-wise areas where vaccination is poor across all 11 taluks of Kalaburagi, Aland, Afzalpur, Jewargi, Sedam, Shahabad, Kalgi, Kamalapur, Chitapur, Chincholi and Yedrami," he said.

Aland Taluk Health Officer Dr Susheel Ambure told DH the taluk ranks fifth in vaccination coverage among the rest of the 11 taluks. "We have 64 per cent coverage. Some communities believe that vaccination leads to infertility. Since there were two or three deaths here, they're linking it with vaccination, which is not the case," he said.

Another piece of misinformation plaguing the taluk administration is the assumption of the working class that they cannot consume alcohol for 15 days post vaccination. "Labourers don't want to get jabbed because they think they cannot drink alcohol for days after vaccination," Ambure said.

"We have reached out to religious leaders and have reached out to devotees during prayer time. There are some gram panchayat leaders themselves who haven't got themselves vaccinated despite being elected leaders. Even in Afzalpur taluk, the reasons for hesitancy are the same," he added.

Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar, when asked about Kalaburagi's vaccination performance, had told DH, "It looks like there is vaccine hesitancy in the district. When I spoke to Kalaburagi DC V V Jyothsna, she said despite sensitisation sessions and awareness programmes, there is a lot of hesitancy. Even then we are confident of vaccinating everybody across all districts by December 31."

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