Rolling up sleeves in the Highlands: Merak

As the nationwide vaccine roll out took off in Thimphu, Gup Lam Rinchen was the first person to be vaccinated in the far Gewog of Merak, a four-hour drive from Tashigang in Eastern Bhutan. As the Gup of Merak, he and Gewog officials picked up the vaccines when they first arrived at the dzongkhag hospital. The vaccination began with a small prayer ceremony and a Zhab-ten dedicated to His Majesty the King. Lam remembered removing the left sleeve of his red chuba to expose his arm, and as the needle sank into the skin, several village highlanders peeped through the windows to witness the scene.

“I decided to volunteer to receive the first jab in Merak. The night before, my family members were a bit worried, in case I would have adverse reactions and fall severely ill. But I told them that the country is doing everything to provide for us, and we must understand that they are doing it for our own safety and wellbeing. As a Gup, I felt it was my responsibility to participate and advocate in the vaccine rollout and reassure the people of Merak,” said Lam.

The vaccines were airlifted to Tashigang. Merak is situated in the far and high east, bordering Arunachal Pradesh. Prior to the arrival, Lam and Gewog officials had to arrange proper vaccination centers and prepare post vaccine resting rooms. Gewog offices and schools were mainly used as centers. The online registration of the residents was coordinated by teachers and Gewog officials. Around 900 vaccines were distributed to Merak and the inoculations were scheduled Chiwog wise where health workers would move from one village to another. There was a team of a doctor and 2 health workers leading the immunization process, supported by Dessups and a few local residents. Lam, with support from the Gewog administration accompanied the entourage as they moved each day from one Chiwog to another.

“Going by normal reactions, I was feeling a little fatigued and lightheaded after I received the shot. But it was only passing, and I recovered well. Few villagers did have the same reaction, but no one suffered severely. We are used to harsh weather and harsh living conditions, so we are tough. But some were anxious, and having local people accompany the health workers and provide moral support was crucial to boosting encouragement. Of course, there were rumors leading up to the roll out, but we relied on authentic sources and followed the news closely to disseminate correct information to the people,” said Lam.

Ever since the first case emerged in the country, Merak has seen a slight decrease in travel and transport of their local products to the dzongkhags in the west. A quarantine center was established in Merak last year and incoming travelers were quarantined for a week. According to Lam, during lockdown restrictions, farmers could continue their work, but large groups were not encouraged, and masks were mandatory. One shop from each Chiwog remained opened and there was mass storage of food items.

“Even though we’ve had less sales, we had enough to get by. Comparing to people around the world, we are lucky that we were not impacted as much as them. We are used to stocking our food and it is common for the people here to keep good reserve stocks. We are blessed to receive the vaccine even though we live in a remote area, in other countries it is uncommon for every eligible citizen in a country to receive easy and equal access to the vaccine. We feel safer and stronger now that we are a step towards eradicating the virus from the face of the earth,” said Lam.

“We should complete the entire vaccination process in Merak by tomorrow, and we will close with a Zhab-ten dedicated to His Majesty the King. We pray for a safe and successful second dose of the vaccine roll out,” continued Lam.

Merak was covered in a blanket of snow as vaccinations began, a usual site at this time of the year. Amidst the white and muddy roads, people of Merak await the second dose of the vaccine and look forward to rolling their sleeves up one final time.