Local bodies give a leg-up to mass vaccination drive

Local bodies have begun enjoying a half in supporting the Health Department’s drive to vaccinate the utmost variety of folks from among the many susceptible inhabitants.

The ward-level committees fashioned after the pandemic outbreak for monitoring functions have been activated once more to launch intensive ground-level campaigns to make sure that nobody is reluctant to take vaccination.

Speaking to The Puucho, Saradha Muraleedharan, Additional Chief Secretary, Local Self Government, mentioned the variety of folks taking vaccination on their very own was nonetheless much less. There was a want to shore up the vaccination numbers, for which mobilising the social capital of the native bodies and neighbourhood teams can be helpful.

“The ward-level committees of local bodies and Kudumbashree neighbourhood units are our key resources in this campaign. They will be playing a supporting role in the vaccination efforts. A lot of social messaging will be involved at the local level to reach out to the weak and the vulnerable. For those reluctant to take vaccination, especially due to concerns about adverse events, those coordinating these activities can put them in touch with health workers or doctors to allay their concerns,” mentioned Ms.Muraleedharan.

The ward-level committees, consisting of councillors, well being inspectors and native residents, additionally helped in making certain that quarantine guidelines have been adopted. However, this time, with a comparatively new set of councillors in cost after the native physique elections in December, the ward-level committees had to be reactivated.

“We never stopped our activities to prevent the spread of the virus. Only some of the systems, including some front-line treatment centres, were wound up temporarily with the fall in numbers. Now, there is no need to newly set up anything, as all of it exist on the ground. Our focus now will be to help the Health Department reach the daily vaccination targets and also the targeted test positivity rates,” mentioned Ms. Muraleedharan.