Jharkhand is getting ready to launch a month- long Covid teeka mahaabhiyaan (Mega Vaccination Campaign) from Thursday, December 16, aiming to achieve 100 per cent jab coverage by January, 2022 in the wake of fresh concerns over the fast-spreading Omicron variant of the Sars-Cov2 virus.

While Jharkhand hasn’t reported any case of the new variant as yet since it stepped up surveillance and monitoring across all transit points, but the tribal heartland, which is struggling in terms of second dose coverage, is activating all its resources on the ground to pace up inoculations.

Of the 2.64 eligible beneficiaries in the state, about 72.15 per cent have received the first dose of the vaccine. Only 38.78 per cent have got both doses since the drive began in January this year.

Acting on the directives of chief minister Hemant Soren, additional chief secretary of the state health department Arun Kumar Singh dispatched detailed operating procedures to all districts. He also said that the best performing blocks/ districts and their officials would be felicitated with certificates.

“While the detailed studies on the nature of its (Omicron) virulence and intensity is still underway worldwide vis-à-vis the lethal Delta variant, vaccination is the only way to forward. We are working on a war footing to increase vaccination coverage,” said health minister Banna Gupta.

Singh has asked all deputy commissioners and civil surgeons to organise real-time mapping of eligible beneficiaries who are yet to get their first and second doses at the panchayat, block and district levels to prepare micro-level action plans.

“Electoral roll data should be taken into account as it will be helpful to identify and track the eligible population," Singh has said, adding that blocks/panchayats/villages should be colour coded on the basis of their performance.

“For example, pockets which have less than 50 per cent coverage must be marked red, 50-60 per cent pink, 70-80 per cent yellow and dark green for more than 90 per cent. Daily reports are to be sent to the headquarters too,” he said.

To effectively reach the target audience, the health department has asked all districts to utilise the ongoing Apka Adhikar-Apki Sarkar Apke Dwar (government’s public outreach programme) and Har Ghar Dastak Abhiyan (door-to-door vaccination drive) for identification, mobilization and vaccination of eligible beneficiaries. This apart, directives have also been issued about forming mobile vaccination teams in sufficient numbers as per the daily panchayat/village-wise target.

“Each team should include at least one vaccinator, one data entry person with one or two mobilizers. Each team is expected to carry out at least 150 vaccinations per day,” he said.

Migrant workers are also among priority target groups for inoculation. “The information regarding migrants must be obtained from family members during house visits with details of their mobile number and Aadhar number for verification of their actual vaccination status,” said Singh, and asked districts to utilize services of sahiyas, panchayat sewaks and chowkidars.

Simultaneously, the health department has also asked all districts to set up call centres to motivate those eligible for vaccination by directly calling them. For state-level monitoring, the department has assigned six senior officials to take care of four to five districts individually.