Karnataka: Only 3 jabbed in Veerappan’s village in Chamarajanagar

MYSURU: Slain forest brigand Veerappan’s hometown Gopinatham in Chamarajanagar district bordering Tamil Nadu has shown a high degree of vaccine hesitancy with just a handful of its nearly 3,900 people coming forward to get themselves inoculated against Covid-19.
Sources in the district health department said unfounded fears, compounded by shortage of vaccine, was the key factor for hesitancy in the village.Gopinatham gram panchayat, comprising Gopinatham and seven remote tribal hamlets, has had 66 Covid cases and one death since the pandemic broke out in March 2020.The panchayat currently has 16 active cases. Source said 60% of the residents in the area are 45+, making them eligible for vaccination.
But the vaccine coverage in this part of the district is so poor and patchy that just three persons have been administered vaccination in the deep forests of MM Hills. Sources said nearest primary health centre is 43km away, and health personnel from there visit Gopinatham once in two weeks. They have so far made two visits and a third is due in the next week.
Panchayat development officer SR Kiran Kumar told TOI that they have been trying to convince villagers about benefits of vaccination and spike rumours of possible side effects.
On the brighter side, he said all panchayat officers and ASHA workers have been vaccinated. After the district minister, deputy commissioner and chief executive of the zilla panchayat launched an awareness campaign recently, some 100 villagers have expressed willingness to participate in the next vaccination camp.