[ Amar Sangno ]
ITANAGAR, 9 Nov: The poor performance of East Kameng, Kamle, Kra Daadi, Kurung Kumey, Lower Subansiri and Upper Subansiri districts in the Covid-19 vaccination campaign caught Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attention during a nationwide videoconference with officials of the poorly performing states (below 48 percent) on 3 November.
Modi asked Arunachal Pradesh to step up the Covid vaccination campaign to ensure 100 percent coverage.
“If we mobilize health officers and staffs from the town, start camping with all equipment, the 100 percent target could be achieved easily. If hilly terrain state Sikkim could do, Arunachal can definitely do,” said the PM while interacting with the officials of the poorly performing districts during the videoconference.
According to the national data, Arunachal has so far achieved 77 percent coverage with the first dose and 55 percent coverage with the second dose.
As per the census target, Kra Daadi has recorded the lowest vaccination coverage with only 19 percent (first dose) and 11 percent (second dose), followed by Kurung Kumey with 28 percent (first dose) and 18 percent (second dose).
Kamle has achieved 37 percent (first dose) and 25 percent (second dose) coverage. Upper Subansiri has achieved 32 percent (first dose) and 22 percent (second dose) coverage, Lower Subansiri has achieved 42 percent (first dose) and 22 percent (second dose) coverage, and East Kameng has achieved 43 percent (first dose) and 31 percent (second dose) coverage.
The national vaccination percentage is determined by the above-18-years-old population of the districts, based on the 2011 census. Accordingly, Kra Daadi has 34,236, Kurung Kumey has 33,260, Kamle has 18,995, Upper Subansiri has 77,266, Lower Subansiri has 65,076 and East Kameng has 58,877.
The 2011 census population, used as the yardstick to measure the vaccination campaign coverage percentage, put Arunachal Pradesh in an awkward situation before the prime minister.
The authorities of the six districts that have recorded poor performance in achieving the Covid-19 vaccination target scrambled to explain the cause of the poor vaccination coverage percentage. The district and the state authorities have claimed that, “due to rural-urban mass migration, the actual number of population is quite low.”
In his explanation to the prime minister, Kra Daadi DC Higio Tala claimed that 80 percent of the district’s population have migrated to capital Itanagar.
“I have been harping that figure or percentage won’t be matched as per census data. Through the ASHAs and anganwadi workers, when we started head-counting of all households, as per head-counting, our vaccination achievement is 107 percent,” claimed the DC.
The health authorities claimed that, as per head count, Kra Daadi has a population of only 5,943, “out of which 107 percent of first dose vaccination has been achieved and 62 percent in second dose.” Similarly, they said, Kurung Kumey, with the second lowest percentage, has a population of only 8,833 based on head count, and accordingly 104 percent (first dose) and 62 percent (second dose) coverage has been achieved so far.
While Kamle district has 8,600 people based on head count, it has achieved 81 percent (first dose) and 56 percent (second dose) coverage.
Lower Subansiri has achieved 104 percent (first dose) and 75 percent (second dose) coverage, covering 26,021 people, while Upper Subansiri has achieved 100 percent vaccination of 24,547 people (based on head count), and East Kameng has achieved 102 percent vaccination of 22,528 people, based on head count.
The Covid-19 vaccination data have revealed that the census population is just an imaginary size of population. The actual size of the population can be determined only through head count with the help of ASHAs and anganwadi workers on the ground.
