| 12:39:43 PM - Tue, Jun 15th 2021 |
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India's vaccine drive: Stories from the best and worst districts
Vaccination against Covid was SLOTXO always going to be a massive challenge for India - a country of some 1.4 billion people.
The programme had a smooth enough start. India began giving jabs on 16 January, first to frontline workers and those above the age of 60. But by May, when the drive was thrown open to everyone above the age of 18, the country was severely low on stocks - even as demand surged in the wake of a devastating second wave.
The supply shortage, however, has not been the only challenge. India's effort to vaccinate its people has had varying success across regions because of other issues, from planning to infrastructure to misinformation.
Analysis by the BBC of 729 districts for which data was available shows wide disparities in per capita vaccination rates - some districts have given jabs to half their population, while others have vaccinated as little as 3%. Some urban and sparsely populated districts have fared better than other large or rural ones.
Here's a snapshot of what went right - and wrong - in four districts.
Two of them - Mahe and South Delhi - are near the top of the table, while the other two - South Salmara Mankachar and Tiruvannamalai - have struggled to vaccinate a sizeable number of their people.
Planning is key
When Shivraj Meena took charge of Mahe, a tiny district on India's south-western coast, in February this year, he had his work cut out.
The district's population - about 31,000 people - had to be vaccinated quickly because the second wave appeared to be looming already. But Mr Meena found that people felt unsure about the safety of the vaccines, and were also reluctant to come to the vaccination centres, fearing crowding.
At just nine sq km (3.5 sq miles), India's smallest district has limited health infrastructure. So Mr Meena drew up a plan.
'We are scared and suspicious'
South Salmara Mankachar, a remote district in India's north-eastern state of Assam, is the worst performer so far.
In these agrarian, largely Muslim villages bordering Bangladesh, officials have been able to vaccinate only 3% of the half a million people living here.
"I have heard that people die after getting vaccinated," said Monowar Islam Mondal, a farmer who has not got his shot yet. He alleges a conspiracy against the Muslim community.
Recent state elections saw the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) win after a divisive campaign that targeted unauthorised migrants from across the border, many of them Muslim.
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