Despite an intensified vaccination drive, the percentage of beneficiaries in 22 districts is below the state average of 47.74 per cent, according to the statistics provided by Maharashtra health department.
District officials have now been asked to strengthen their door-to-door campaigns and encourage people to take the jabs. As per statistics, vaccination in Nanded (29.98 per cent), Hingoli (32.09 per cent), Solapur (32.18 per cent), Jalgaon (33.55 per cent) and Osmanabad (34.04 per cent) are significantly lower than the state average.
A senior health official said the turnout has been low since Diwali. “The fear of the pandemic seems to have disappeared, making it difficult to convince people to get vaccinated,” he said.
Dr Bhimashankar, district health officer, Jalgaon, said they are taking help of local bodies to encourage people and make a list of those whose doses are due. They are also planning a mobile vaccination van that will reach people who cannot go to vaccine centres. Meanwhile, various officials in these districts have also attributed this trend to vaccine hesitancy and also the failure of the administration to reach out to beneficiaries, especially in tribal belts.
State surveillance officer Dr Pradip Awate said, “There are also some districts that are going out of their way.”
