Uttar Pradesh: Man attacks health staff to avoid Covid vaccine, another climbs tree in Ballia

VARANASI: To be jabbed or not to be jabbed—that is the question still haunting some villages in Ballia even after the first anniversary of the Covid vaccination drive in India, which is presently battling the Omicron-driven Covid onslaught.
On Thursday, Vipin Yadav, a boatman, was arrested and put behind the bars for attacking a Covid-19 vaccination team official on the banks of river Saryu in Revati area of Lamuhi village in Ballia.This was not a lone case as vaccinators have been witnessing high-voltage dramas in the rural belts of the district. Such incidents, which went viral on social media, have surged in less than a fortnight as the new DM, Indra Vikram Singh, accelerated the pace of vaccination, with Ballia climbing the ladder from 75th to 46th spot in the Covid-19 vaccination coverage list of the state. Additional SP, Ballia, Vijay Tripathi said a video of Yadav attacking a vaccination team official went, following which Revati police arrested him on the charges of breaching peace and altercation.
Yadav was traced by the vaccination team, when he reached the Saryu banks on his boat on Wednesday. When health workers asked Yadav to take his Covid shot, he jumped off the boat and charged at the healthcare worker, pinning him to the ground. Yadav also tried to drag the official to the water body, but other team members managed to rescue him. Although Yadav took the jab after being convinced by block development officer AK Dubey, he later fled the scene
Attempting to avoid Covid-19 dose, another youth climbed up a tree. The healthcare workers and Dubey pleaded with him to come down, following which he agreed and got jabbed.
When contacted, Ballia DM told TOI, “Few people are still showing vaccine hesitancy, but majority of people, who were not keen to take the first dose, are now cooperating with the vaccination team.” According to the Covid-19 vaccination records, when Singh assumed his charge in Ballia on January 7, the first dose coverage was 70% and the district ranked at 75th spot in the state. Immediately after assuming the charge, Singh said he reviewed the reasons behind the district’s poor performance and chalked out a strategy for door-to-door drive. Each gram pradhan of district was mobilised to ensure cent percent vaccination of people in villages. Results were soon evident. In just 13 days, not only not the first dose coverage reached up to 94.1%, but the district jumped to 46th rank from 75th by Thursday, he said.