#COVID || J&K crosses 1 crore dose mark, 28Lakh fully jabbed

Jammu: Leaving behind the initial vaccine hesitancy, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has crossed the milestone of administering 1 crore anti-coronavirus disease doses to its eligible beneficiaries in about eight months.
With this, around 58% of the target population in the Union Territory has been vaccinated at least with the first dose.
Hailing the medical fraternity for achieving the feet, the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in his Tweet said,” J&K UT achieved milestone in Covid Vaccination. Total doses administered crossed 1 Crore mark today. It is a momentous feet. Kudos to the medical fraternity for their tireless efforts”.
The vaccination drive among the 45+ group started on January 16 while the jabs for below 45 age group commenced from June 1. All the 20 districts in the union territory (UT) have achieved the target of 100 per cent vaccination in the 45+ group. Notably, the UT has missed two deadlines to vaccinate all above 45 years of age. After the second wave of Covid-19 hit the UT in April and May this year, people flocked to vaccination centres in large numbers to get their jabs.
Out of total 1, 00, 06, 274 doses, 71,62,751 first and 28,43, 523 second doses have administered to J&K residents so far. 56,24,565 doses shots have been given to men, while 43,79, 778 jab were administered to women folk so far.
Official data reveals that over 55 lakh Covid jabs have been administered in the age group of 45 years and above, including healthcare and frontline workers, while over 45 lakh doses have been administered in the age group of 18-44 years.
On Saturday over one lakh doses were administered in entire Jammu and Kashmir, while maximum over 18000 doses were inoculated in the Jammu district. About 15 Lakh doses alone have been administered in Jammu district.
The J&K will get further vaccine push, as UT will be receiving additional 20 Lakh doses by moth end.
The Lt Governor while chairing meeting to review the Covid scenario in J&K on Friday directed for scaling up vaccination with intensive drives and enforce strict Covid protocol in the areas witnessing increased number of Covid-19 cases’. He said that there is no shortage of vaccine, adding that 20 lakh doses of the vaccine would be received by ending September, the administering whereof needs to be planned accordingly, especially by focusing on the areas with lower rates of vaccination.
According to the 2011 census, J&K’s population is 12.5 million. When the vaccination drive started in Kashmir, rumours and hesitancy among the people were the main obstacles. From roping in influencers, prominent doctors and religious leaders, authorities used all possible ways to remove vaccine hesitancy. Instead of waiting for people to vaccine centres, healthcare workers started a door-to-door vaccination drive which helped achieve desired results.
The UT has witnessed 4,416 deaths since the pandemic began last March. From the peak of more than 50,000 active cases in mid-May, cases have come down to 1,479 as of September 17.
So far, 3,21,878 patients have recovered in J&K so far. Though the Covid-19 count in J&K is down, health experts have warned that if people continue to violate the safety protocols, cases may surge again in the coming weeks.