Srinagar, June 7: Weyan village in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district has become the first village in India to vaccinate 100 percent population.
Everyone above 18 years of age in Weyan has been successfully vaccinated, which is a first in entire country.
An official spokesman said that J&K officials had to overcome various challenges to achieve this landmark feat.
Chief Medical Officer, Bandipora, Dr Bashir Ahmed Khan said Weyan is a village of nomads without any access to the internet and there’s no route to this hilly terrain.
He said that the officials had to make a dangerous trek to make sure every single eligible individual in Weyan was vaccinated.
Weyan is located 28 km from Bandipora and only 10 km up to a place called Athwatoo is accessible by road.
The remaining 18 km have to be covered by foot as it is a hilly region.
“Entire populations above 18 years were vaccinated with total 362 beneficiaries. The people of the village go to the upper reaches along with cattle during summer so it was important to reach out to them before they move out,” Dr Bashir said.
The spokesman said that India’s vaccination drive has covered 23 crore people but there is still a long way ahead for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced a slew of measures to further the goal of Tika Utsav, a mass Covid vaccination festival.
“Leading by example is J&K and Weyan in particular that has successfully vaccinated 100 percent of the 18+ population,” the spokesman said.