First village in India to record 100% vaccination
SNS KASHMIR
Sajid Raina
Bandipora, January 26 :
Vewan, a remote village, located on the foothills of famous Harmukh peak in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district has managed to stave off the pandemic since its inception in early 2020. The village has reported zero cases so far with all its population being vaccinated against the COVID-19.
The village is 28km from Bandipora town and the first 10km of the journey is by road, up to a place called Athwatoo. The remaining 18km is by foot, up the hills. Even as the Bandipora district was in the grip of the COVID-19 many times with highest cases but the village has never been affected while it’s all population have been vaccinated against the virus before the villagers knew about the disease.
Officials told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that there was not a single case reported from the village till date as the villagers mostly uneducated have always cooperated with administration while fighting the pandemic and has kept itself completely safe from the Covid.
They said that the hamlet became the first village in India where 100 percent vaccination was completed under the J&K model, a 10-point strategy to inoculate everyone who is eligible for the shots at a faster pace.
Locals said that they know everything about this disease but its effects have never been allowed in this village as they have always been committed and cooperated with the administration in fighting it.
They said that there are no other habitants around their village which benefited them to keep the virus at bay, while the people were always taking precautions against the Covid.
Shabir Ahmad, a local, said that there has not been a single case of Coronavirus infection in their village.
Now the entire population of the village has been vaccinated. He said that the residents of his village do not venture out of the village without any work.
Noori Begum, an elderly lady of the village said that they have never felt the effects of the deadly disease.
“People still go to each other’s houses and eat together but as the condition of other areas has deteriorated due to the Covid as we listen on the radio, it isn’t like this here,” she said, adding that the daily work of the village was always going on.
Block medical officer (BMO), Bandipora Dr, Masrat Iqbal also confirmed that no Covid cases have been reported so far in the village while all the people of the village have been vaccinated in advance against the virus—(KNO)