Div Com Kashmir stresses for intensified Covid-19 vaccination in Srinagar

Srinagar, Sep 17: The Divisional Commissioner (Div Com) Kashmir, Pandurang K. Pole on Thursday stressed for further intensifying the Covid-19 vaccination drive across Srinagar during a meeting convened at Divisional Covid-19 Control Room Kashmir (DCCRK), here to review the progress of Covid-19 vaccination drive and CAB in Srinagar district.
The meeting was attended by Mission Director NHM, Mohammad Yaseen Chowdary; Director Health Services Kashmir, Dr. Mushtaq Ahmad Rather; Incharge Divisional Covid-19 Control Room Kashmir (DCCRK), Tahir Ahmad Magray; CMO Srinagar, Dr. Jameel; Deputy CMO, Dr. Nighat; Assistant Director Family Welfare, Dr Masrat; Epidemiologist Kashmir /SSO, Dr Talat Jabeen; Covid-19 Lab coordinator, Dr. Jitender; BMO Hazratbal, other Zonal Medical Officers of District Srinagar and various senior level Public Health Specialists of DCCRK.
The Div Com reviewed the progress achieved in the ongoing vaccination campaign against Covid-19 in the Srinagar district. He stressed for further intensifying the Covid-19 vaccination drive across Srinagar in all eligible age groups and also in recently emerged hot spot areas.
At the outset, Incharge DCCRK briefed the Div Com about the vaccination teams adding that there are 175 such teams already working in Srinagar.
The Div Com directed the District Officers and officials to augment further vaccination teams in district Srinagar and also directed the CMO Srinagar to ensure a minimum of 300 vaccination sites in the district where an eligible population can get hassle free vaccination jabs.
He emphasized upon the need of providing adequate trained staff at these sites for which he directed to use the additional staff from Government Medical College Srinagar, Government Dental College Srinagar and DRDO Awantipora.
The Div Com further directed CMO Srinagar to identify these low coverage and hot spot areas in his district and pace up the vacation drive on a Mission Mode Model in the district.
He also directed to utilize the services of supportive staff in the form of BLOs, Patwaris, NDRF, SDRF, Anganwadi workers, ASHAs, Physical Education Teachers, SMC workers, local community leaders, religious preachers etc to further strengthen the Covid-19 vaccination drive across Srinagar.
Pole emphasized the role of Chief Clerics and Grand Muftis in appealing people for taking jabs and following Covid-19 appropriate behavior by using their pre-recorded audio visual message bytes.
He also directed Director Health Services Kashmir to nominate health workers (vaccinators) for the colleges whose services can be utilized in vaccination drives in hot spot areas as well. He also stressed upon the need of creating more vaccination sites and directed CMO Srinagar to facilitate private health institutions to create such sites in those hospitals.
In order to ensure the effective and time bound vaccination drive, he emphasized the need for having a robust monitoring and reporting system in place and directed the concerned to ensure reporting of adequate and reliable data on a daily basis to DCCRK.
Mass Awareness about the disease and its preventive measures can act as a game changer so a clear direction was passed to CMO Srinagar to use IEC material at every vaccination site appropriately.
The Div Com directed vaccination sites to be set up at big shopping complexes and entry to be given to only those people who have taken their vaccination jabs.
He once again reiterated the importance of having small gatherings at the weddings and for large gatherings the permission needs to be sought from concerned Tehsildars for which the number of guests cannot be extended beyond 25 people.
At the end of the meeting Div Com directed Incharge DCCRK to impart sensitization training to college students as well as different RJs for adopting CAB and clearing misinformation regarding vaccination for which resource persons of Public Health Specialty should be utilized.