THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If there is one place in the state where the government’s new guidelines for going out for work and errands won’t create much of a problem, it will be Noolpuzha grama panchayat in Wayanad district.
By vaccinating over 97% of its population and the rest being Covid infected, the panchayat has achieved the rare distinction of having an adult population fully testifying to the latest guidelines for going out. Noolpuzha, which is home to four primitive tribal groups, is the first tribal panchayat in the state to achieve ‘cent per cent vaccination’ status.
Out of the nearly 30,000 people of the panchayat, 22,616 are aged 18 or above. Out of them, 21,964 have already been vaccinated. Among the 7,602 tribal adults who mostly live in Muthanga and inside forest, 7,352 have already been vaccinated. That means over 97% of the adults in the panchayats have received either one dose of Covishield or Covaxin.
A total of 158 Covid positive cases are active in the panchayat now. They and those who were infected recently are the only ones remaining to be vaccinated. The health department achieved this by organising several small camps at 215 tribal colonies in the panchayat. Even the people who do not have official ID cards have been vaccinated and their details were entered on Cowin portal through special arrangements.
Noolpuzha panchayat is the second largest tribal populated grama panchayat in the state. Dr S Sibi, who is in-charge of the vaccination in the panchayat, said the vaccination was a tough process as it was conducted at various stages by organising smaller camps with the help of tribal promoters. “Above 97 per cent of people have been vaccinated.
This means we can say that the majority of people especially in tribal segment are vaccinated. We will complete the vaccination for the people once the minimum period for vaccination for those who are infected with Covid is over. We have managed to vaccinate all the four tribal groups who are living in interior areas. It was done with a collective effort and tribal people were extremely cooperative,” he said. At present, there are four tribal groups—Kuruma, Paniya, Kurichya and Kattunaika—living in the panchayat.
Wayanad Collector Adeela Abdulla said Noolpuzha panchayat is the first tribal panchayat to achieve full vaccination. “The panchayat may also be among the top panchayats in the country. The vaccination process was streamlined with the help of all stakeholders”, she said.