This story is from January 14, 2022

Absenteeism and hesitancy cripple kids’ vaccine drive in Kalaburagi and Yadgir

Absenteeism and hesitancy have slowed down vaccination among children between 15-18 years in Kalaburagi and Yadgir, pushing the districts to the bottom two positions on inoculation coverage.In Kalaburagi, a divisional headquarters for KK, coverage is 34% and Yadgir is struggling at 29%.
Absenteeism and hesitancy cripple kids’ vaccine drive in Kalaburagi and Yadgir
Of the total targeted population of 1,59,770 in Kalaburagi, 54,035 teens have got the jabs and in Yadgir 21,360 have been inoculated from the total 73,965 targeted population.
BELAGAVI: Absenteeism and hesitancy have slowed down vaccination among children between 15-18 years in Kalaburagi and Yadgir, pushing the districts to the bottom two positions on inoculation coverage.
In Kalaburagi, a divisional headquarters for KK, coverage is 34% and Yadgir is struggling at 29%. The health officials are attributing below par coverage to absenteeism and hesitancy among parents.
Although daily, health staff visit the schools, they are unable to speed up the inoculation.
Of the total targeted population of 1,59,770 in Kalaburagi, 54,035 teens have got the jabs and in Yadgir 21,360 have been inoculated from the total 73,965 targeted population. Both districts are in the bottom two.
According to Prabhuling Mankar, the district immunisation officer, government schools have registered less than 50% attendance every day since the vaccination began. For the unvaccinated children, health department staff must visit their homes to administer the vaccine with the consent from parents. Also, the majority of the kids in the two districts study in government facilities.
Prabhuling said that because of the fear of the rapidly spreading Omicron variant, a section of parents have stopped sending their children to school. Also, many children have dropped out of school during the pandemic and have not returned to class.
District health officer Sharanabasappa Ganajalkhed told TOI that apart from absenteeism, in some pockets vaccine hesitancy is an issue. In rural pockets, parents are reluctant to consent on vaccines. Health officials are working hard to convince them. This may yield results, he said.
Yadgir district health officer Indumathi K Patil said absenteeism is high in schools.
“Now, we are changing the strategy by visiting the homes of the children. There are many dropouts and we are making all effort to reach them,” she said.
If the schools are shut in the coming days, then vaccination drives will take a severe hit, a health official said.
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