Gurugram: Even as more than one lakh Covid-19 vaccine doses are administered in Gurugram, rural areas of the district are falling behind with cases rising by the day coupled with a severe lack of promotion and vaccination centres in rural parts of the NCR city.
Of the over 75,000 people vaccinated between March 1 and March 18 in the age group of 60 and above and 45-59 (with comorbidities), only 10,000 are from rural Gurugram.
Comprising Sohna, Farrukh Nagar and Pataudi, there are large numbers of cases that are also being reported from these areas along with urban clusters.
According to official sources, relatively fewer primary health care centres that provide vaccinations in rural areas and less promotion are resulting in less vaccine participation in rural Gurugram.
Taking cognizance of the low participation in rural areas, more primary health care
centres will now be allowed to provide vaccinations, officials have said.
The Gurugram District Task Force met on Friday to discuss how to handle the recent surge in cases and the low vaccine turnout, where it was decided to enforce COVID-19 guidelines more strictly and spread awareness about the vaccination programme.
Gurugram was among the first metropolises in the country where certain hospitals were given approval of providing COVID vaccinations 24 hours a day. At Tuesday's meeting, however, it was decided that as footfalls remain low in these hospitals, this service may be discontinued if this persists beyond April 1.
Meanwhile, there have been 13 hospitals in Gurugram that have been given approval to administer COVID-19 vaccinations from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. Moreover, hospitals have also been given leeway to coordinate with several resident welfare associations to encourage more residents to come out and get COVID-19 vaccinations.