The Birbhum health department on Saturday held a camp at a remote village in Mohammedbazar to vaccinate tribal people by taking the help of a tribal outfit to overcome the community’s fears.

The survey revealed many tribal villagers feared the Covid vaccine would kill them. Hence, officials roped in tribal outfit Birbhum Adivasi Gaonta to convince people of the jab’s benefits.

A health official said the efforts of the tribal organisation worked. On Saturday some 650 tribal villagers turned up at a school in Bharkata village to take the jab.

Rabin Soren, secretary of the tribal outfit, said members of his outfit came forward to take the jab to remove misconceptions among villagers.

“A survey revealed tribal people’s reluctance to get vaccinated. We tried to convince them that the vaccine was necessary in view of the impending third wave of the pandemic. But the effort did not elicit a good response and so we thought of a special drive,” said Jayanta Sukul, a deputy chief medical officer in Birbhum.

Soren said they had asked the health department to organise more such camps in tribal pockets of the district to overcome reluctance among the tribal populace.

“We have appealed to the health department to vaccinate tribal people in other pockets of the district and we will help the government in this job,” said Soren.

Sukul agreed that there were many areas bordering Jharkhand where tribal people were reluctant to take the vaccine. “We will continue to organise such special camps.”

Officials said vaccination among the tribal population was needed as these people travel across the district and outside mainly to work as farm hands.

“A large number of tribal people go to Burdwan and Hooghly districts to work as farm labourers. So, the vaccination is important for their safety,” said a district official in Birbhum..

Health officials said while there was a shortage of vaccines in the district, a large number of people were now queuing up for both first and second doses.