Kerala: Wayanad district completes first dose vaccination of all above 18 years of age

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 16: Wayanad has become the first district in Kerala to complete the administration of the first dose of vaccine to all above the age of 18 years. State Health Minister Veena George on Monday appreciated the efforts of the health workers who were involved in the inoculation process of the targeted population above 18 years of age in the district.

"The Wayanad district of Kerala has completed the first dose vaccine among all the eligible population above the age of 18 years. The specialty of Wayanad district is that it has got a more tribal population and I do appreciate all health workers who were involved in the vaccination process and are still engaged in the process in the best possible way," George told PTI.

The achievement comes ahead of the visit of Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday to review the COVID-19 situation in the southern state. The minister said that special mobile teams visited the tribal hamlets to administer the vaccine.

"The government had formed 28 mobile teams to visit the remote Tribal hamlets. The teams also visited the houses of 636 bedridden patients and administered vaccines," she said. The state government has also given the second dose vaccine to 2,13,311 (31.67 per cent) persons in Wayanad district. The district had earlier completed giving the first dose of the vaccine to everyone above the age of 45 and on Sunday they had completed giving the first dose vaccine to all above the age of 18 years, the minister said.

The civic bodies, Tribal Development, Health and Labour Departments, members of Kudumbashree Mission and ASHA workers played their role in achieving this, she added. George said the first dose of vaccine was given to 6,16,112 targeted persons, above 18 years of age.

"Persons who tested positive for the infection, those in quarantine, and persons who refused the vaccine were exempted from the drive," she said. Kerala on Sunday reported 18,582 new COVID-19 cases pushing the total infection count to 36.69 lakh, as the number of people succumbing to the disease rose to 18,601 with 102 additional deaths.