Shukria is more concerned about those around her than about herself, so she appeals to the people of her town to get the Corona vaccine in order to increase the immunity of the largest possible number of people against the Coronavirus.
Shukria, 60, says that since she was vaccinated, she has not fallen ill, so encourages people to follow her and get vaccinated.
“It is true that some are afraid of the vaccine, but there is no need to be afraid so if we are careful not to lose our loved ones, we should all receive the vaccine,” Shukria Hamzo told KirkukNow while she was taking the second dose of the vaccine at one of the vaccination centers.
Shukria, an Ezidi (Yazidi) resident of Shekhan district, Dohuk province, believes that the increase in the number of vaccinated people will prevent the spread of the Corona virus further and will lead to boost of herd immunity.
“We should all receive the vaccine in order to prevent the spread of this epidemic, and this is the only way to preserve our health.”
According to KirkukNow follow-up, 34% of the residents of Shekhan District, including the internally displaced persons IDPs, have received the Corona vaccine.
the percentage of vaccinated people has increased
Nearly 45,000 people in Shekhan district received the Corona vaccine, including both the first and the second doses: 36,000 of them received the Pfizer-BionTech vaccine, more than 5,000 people received the AstraZeneca vaccine (the first dose for more than 3,300 people and the second dose for more over 2,200 people), nearly 3,000 people have received the Chinese vaccine Sinopharm.
There are seven vaccination centers in Shekhan: Baadri, Chir, Atrees, two vaccination centers in Kalakchi and another in Qasrok, in addition to a vaccination center inside the IDP camp.
The population of Shekhan, including locals displaced, is about 130,000, most of whom are Ezidis (Yazidis). Shekhan administratively is part of Dohuk, but it is one of the disputed areas between the Erbil-based Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government KRG and the Federal Government in Baghdad, located within the borders of Nineveh Governorate.
Sheikhan, February 2022: Dilgash Nawaf, student, urges people of SHekhan to take the Corona vaccine
Barzan Saeed, a nurse at a vaccination center in Sheikhan district, told KirkukNow, "A large number of people visit vaccination centers daily, although taking the vaccine is not mandatory, but some strict measures have been taken to urge people to take the vaccine."
"Since people were obligated to take the vaccine to conduct their affairs at state departments, the percentage of vaccinated people has increased, as has the number of visitors to vaccination centers," said Saeed.
According to decisions issued by the KRG early this year, in the event that government employees do not take the Corona vaccine, they will be dealt with according to the law, and private sector employees are not allowed to work unless they receive the vaccine, while visitors of government departments and public places are required to conduct a weekly test for Coronavirus or carry a pregnancy Vaccination card.
These decisions also include the education sector and students aged twelve and above.
Anyone can now visit the vaccination centers .. without fixing an appointment and prior electronic registration
Dilgash Nawaf, a middle school student in Shekhan, after receiving the vaccination, appeals to the citizens through KirkukNow, saying, "Vaccinate yourselves in order to protect ourselves, our families and the people around us."
“Anyone who wants to get the vaccine can now visit the vaccination centers and get it without fixing an appointment and without the need for prior electronic registration, because the vaccine is currently available in abundance,” said Karim Kamal, Shekhan Health Director.
"We have formed mobile vaccination teams. Any citizen who cannot visit the vaccination center, whether he lives in remote villages, schools or homes, can contact us and we will send a mobile vaccination team to vaccinate him," according to Shekhan Director of Health.
Vaccination against corona helps the body to strengthen immunity and protect it from the virus and leads to a gradual return to normal life, according to the instructions of the KRG Ministry of Health.
Dohuk has registered 146,000 infections since the outbreak of the pandemic back in February 2020, with 1,834 cases, while uptoday, 481,000 people have received the vaccine, according to the statistics of the Ministry of Health.
