DHARMAPURI: Lack of awareness among tribals about vaccination has affected the district administration's inoculation drive against Covid-19. Tribal welfare associations stress special awareness drives must be organised to clear misconception about the vaccines and urged the administration to hold door-to-door vaccination drives.
Over 9.15 lakh people, which is 76% of the total population, have received their first dose of Covid 19 vaccine in the district whereas 5.75 lakh people, which is 48% of the population, have received their second dose.
Health department staff attributed the poor inoculation rate to hesitancy among people, especially tribal population.
Speaking to TNIE, Dilli Babu, former MLA of Harur and president of the Malaival Makkal Sangam said, "Around 60% of the tribal population has not received vaccine. One of the reasons for this is lack of awareness. Covid 19 has been around for a while and one can say it is impossible to know about the deadly disease. But this is not the case, he said.
Dilli Babu explained that most tribal populations are complacent, they live away from the society and hence they feel that infections will not reach them. "We raise awareness wherever we can, most often it only reaches a small population. The district administration must spread awareness on the disease to improve inoculation drives," he added.
Prapthapan, District Secretary of the Agriculturist Laborers Association said, In Vathalmalai and Sitheri there are PHC's where vaccines are available. But health department cannot assure they have provided vaccination to all the people in the hamlet. In Sitheri there are over 66 villages and maybe awareness has reached only 30 % of the people. Many have not taken even their first dose. The situation in Alakattu, Eriyur are unclear as well. A door to door survey must be conducted and people who have not received their vaccines must be identified and be inoculated, he said.
Senior officials in the health department said vaccination camps are held in more than 455 locations in the district every week. Besides, a mobile health drive is conducted at 100 random villages every day. "Lack of awareness is not an issue here. The reason many have not been inoculated is their unwillingness to participate. Not only tribals, even many people living in urban areas have not taken their second doses," they said.