Swarnalatha, a 57-year-old school teacher, was initially concerned about taking the vaccine. She feared she might suffer from side effects. However, their worries resolved after nothing like that happened. Ms. Swarnalatha then shared her positive experience with colleagues who followed suit.
Voluntary vaccination
Unlike the early days of the vaccination program when health officials had to use their persuasiveness to get people to the meeting venues, word of mouth from those who took the trick is now doing the job. In fact, it has reportedly increased the number of people getting vaccinated.
“Because of the experiences of those who have taken the vaccine, more and more people are coming to the meeting venues alone,” said Fr. Ratnavalli, Prakasam District Medical and Health Officer, who oversaw the vaccination campaign at 119 meeting venues, including 11 municipal authorities, on Saturday.
Up to 10,000 people took the sting in Prakasam on Saturday, the highest since the journey began on January 16. According to health authorities in Ongole in the district 1.97 Lakh were vaccinated against COVID.
Active cases jump to 1,228
The district has now reported 48 new cases and three deaths in the past 24 hours.
The number of active cases in Andhra on the south coast rose to 1,228, with 211 people in the area testing positive for the disease, including 163 in the SPSR Nellore district alone.
Focus on urban corporations
In the neighboring district of SPSR Nellore, a special action focusing on urban corporations was launched.
“Up to 7,696 people had been vaccinated by late evening,” said DMHO S.Rajyalakshmi.
The district health administration has adjusted to vaccinating up to 30,000 people a day as more and more people will be visiting the meeting venues in the coming weeks after seeing an increase in new cases in the district.