AS part of the national covid-19 vaccination drive, the state government of the eastern Indian state of West Bengal has launched a "vaccination on boat" programme to reach the remotest parts of Sunderbans delta.
Home to more than 4.5 million people and the largest mangrove forest in the world, residents of the Bay of Bengal delta endure all the miseries nature throws at them - from cyclones to erosion.
Currently, only basic healthcare facilities are available in the region. But a government boat with vaccines gives hope to the residents.
"It's very difficult to get vaccinated in this village area. We used to line up at crowded hospitals to get a shot, unsuccessfully, before the boat came along," said Deepak Jena, a labourer on a remote island in the Sunderbans.
Indranil Bargi, a medical officer in the Gosaba area, said: "We have targeted some migrant people and the people who can't reach our sub-centre ... or any other session site (for coronavirus vaccinations)."
AstraZeneca and partner Serum Institute of India's Covishield is being used for the vaccination drive.
More than 400,000 people have died from Covid-19 in India and the government is trying to expand its immunisation drive to protect more people.
However, logistical challenges of reaching remote islands and treacherous villages in the mountains have complicated the effort.
This photograph taken on April 28, 2026 shows a boy getting "thali", a sacred thread tied to his neck symbolising marriage to Hindu warrior god Aravan during the annual Koovagam transgender festival at the Koothandavar temple in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district. For a few fleeting days each year, at the heart of the Koothandavar Temple where ostracised transgender community members from across India come to honour the Hindu deity Aravan, a tradition rooted in millennia-old Hindu texts -- and to enjoy a brief oasis of freedom.Getty Images
This photograph taken on April 29, 2026 shows a member of the transgender community mourning as a priest cuts the "thali", a sacred thread symbolising end of her marriage to Hindu warrior god Aravan during the annual Koovagam transgender festival at the Koothandavar temple in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district. For a few fleeting days each year, at the heart of the Koothandavar Temple where ostracised transgender community members from across India come to honour the Hindu deity Aravan, a tradition rooted in millennia-old Hindu texts -- and to enjoy a brief oasis of freedom. Getty Images
