Under the leadership of Chief Minister Mr Hemant Soren, the state government is making continuous efforts to spread awareness among the people and doing away with the myths and misconceptions related to the COVID19 vaccine. The efforts made by the state government are now showing results in terms of paced-up speed of vaccination and reduced vaccine wastage in the state.

*Jharkhand recorded a rise in vaccination with minimum wastage*

As per the vaccine data from NHM Jharkhand, till 26.05.2021, the vaccine coverage in Jharkhand was 40,12,142 doses, whereas as of 08.06.2021 morning, it recorded an increase with coverage of 46,07,189 doses. In a short span of two weeks, almost 6 Lakh new vaccine doses were administered across Jharkhand.

Till 26th May, net vaccine availability at the state government was 42,07,128 doses, out of this 40,12,142 doses were administered whereas on June 8th, net vaccine availability was 46,76,990, out of this 46,07,189 doses were administered to the people. This resulted in bringing wastage down to 1.5(%) per cent from earlier 4.5(%) per cent.

*Awareness drive helped reduce wastage and increased the pace of vaccination*

The awareness campaign initiated by the Government of Jharkhand is now yielding fruits. On one hand, where this initiative helped pace up the vaccination drive in the state, on the other hand, it also helped drastically reduce vaccine wastage in the state. On 26.05.2021, the vaccine wastage in the state was close to 4.5 per cent, it has now come down to less than 1.5 per cent.

Since the day of the announcement of the vaccination drive, the government has been working hard to ensure the availability of vaccines for all. Given the diverse demographic profile of Jharkhand, many initiatives have been taken up to ensure the availability of the vaccine to the last mile.

In May, the State Government led by the Chief Minister, Mr Hemant Soren, started an awareness drive across the state to make people aware of the necessity of vaccine and other relevant information. More than 23 Lakh women of Sakhi Mandal, under JSLPS, were trained to create a mass awareness drive across the state.

*Mobile vaccination van, Bike vaccination drive and weekend mass drive to maximize coverage*

In many parts of Jharkhand, it is very difficult to reach by 4 wheeler due to the difficult terrain and positioning of villages. Many villages in Jharkhand are situated on hilltops or people in few parts of the state are still living in the forest region. The government is putting in every effort to ensure the availability of the vaccine to them also. Many districts have adopted bike vaccination drive with the on-spot registration facility. This helped not only in creating awareness among the rural population but also mobilized a large population to the nearby vaccination centers.

Different districts across the state are also operating mobile vaccination vans to ensure vaccination in the distant parts of the state.