K-P lags behind with 50% Covid vaccination

Chitral, Haripur and Charsadda remain ahead of other districts in inoculation process

PESHAWAR:

Due to the lack of interests on the part of the general public the vaccination ratio in the 20 districts of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa remains below 50 per cent.

Only 12 districts have achieved their target of above 50 per cent vaccination while the far-flung districts have not even reached the 30 per cent threshold despite hectic efforts on the part of the government and an announcement that only those people would be allowed to travel in the public transport who have Covid-19 vaccination certificates. General public is overall reluctant to get vaccinated in many districts including Peshawar.

As per a report of the K-P Health Department people above the age of 18 who have received first dose of vaccine stand at 50.81 per cent.

In Chitral around 73.40 per cent population has received first dose which is highest in the province. South Waziristan remains on the bottom of the list with just 10.35 per cent. Haripur has achieved 63.01 per cent, Charsadda 59.62 per cent, Abbotabad 57.34 per cent, Manshera 55.52 per cent, Swabi 52.43 per cent, Kurram 52.60 per cent, Mardan 51.43 per cent, Nowshera 50.77 per cent, Orakzai 50.76 per cent, Swat 50.52 per cent, Malakand 50.07 per cent, Kohat 48.17 per cent, Shangla 47.95 per cent, Buner 47.14 per cent, Peshawar 46.46 per cent, Battagram 45.74 per cent, Karak 45.42 per cent, Dir Lower 44.57 per cent, Mohmand 43.14 per cent, Der Ismail Khan 42.58 per cent, Hangu 38.78 per cent, Tank 36.21 per cent, Dir Upper 35.25 per cent, Torghar 33.25 per cent, Lakki Marwat 30.40 per cent, Khyber 30.30 per cent, Bannu 30.10 per cent, Bajaur 25.33 per cent, North Waziristan 22.83 per cent, Kohistan 19.90 per cent, and South Waziristan only 10.35 per cent.

READ Dengue virus grips 24 K-P districts

Despite the launch of a door to door vaccination campaign in five districts including Peshawar, the vaccination target has not been achieved because government has failed to create awareness among the masses mostly in the rural parts of the province where people dismiss Covid-19 as a fatal threat altogether.

People blame that no door to door vaccination has been launched in some parts of Peshawar on the pattern of polio vaccination campaign as people were asked to come to a specific place for vaccination where there was no separate vaccination spot for women so people remained reluctant to get themselves vaccinated.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29^th, 2021.