Mongolian doctors trek to remote areas to jab herders
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As part of their efforts to tackle the pandemic, doctors in Mongolia trekked to remote areas to offer herders COVID-19 booster doses.
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More than 90% of adults received two vaccinations as part of the country's vaccination program.
As he travels along a bumpy track through a remote section of the Mongolian steppe, nurse Sodkhuu Galbadrakh clutches a box of Covid-19 vaccines on his lap, offering booster doses to herders.
The three-million-strong country has implemented some of the world's hardest and most long-lasting anti-coronavirus measures, including closing schools and closing borders for much of the last two years.
More than 90% of adults received two vaccinations as part of the country's vaccination program.
However, due to both internet misrepresentation and the sheer logistical problem of reaching rural villages in such a big country, the booster program is having mixed results among nomadic groups.
"During the first wave, people were queuing outside (for vaccines) and I was working until 9 pm," said Sodkhuu. "There were days I didn't go home. Now, only five to six people come to get the booster shot per day."
He said that he contacts herders every day to attempt to schedule the third shot, but he can't always get through, especially in pastureland where phone connection is poor.
This meant health officials had no choice but to go to the herders, he added.
According to Mongolia's Health Ministry, 667,391 Covid cases have been reported, with over 2,000 deaths.
Since vaccines were introduced, the number of cases has decreased, and Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, is eager to ensure that progress is not hampered by vaccine apprehension.
Only around 45% of adults have had a booster vaccine.
It is worth noting that Mongolia is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world and about one-third of the population are nomadic.
