Health workers in India say there are winning the battle to vaccinate isolated communities of nomads in rural Kashmir, despite scepticism about getting the COVID-19 jab.

Workers have been trekking into the mountainous village of Faqir Gujri, around 25km from Srinagar city, to offer the Bakarwal nomadic Muslim community the Covishield vaccine, alongside their routine immunisations, as well as rapid coronavirus tests.

Bakarwals are a nomadic sub-tribe that move from place to place depending on the season. They travel between summer pastures in the Himalayas and winter grazing grounds in the lowland plains, herding their goats, sheep and horses. Travelling to higher ground to allow cattle to graze makes locating them hard for the medical officials.

A 2020 report by Al Jazeera, citing a 2011 government census, said Bakarwals make up approximately 12 percent of disputed Kashmir's 12 million population.

Dr. Hashmat Sultana, a medical official, explains that Faqir Gujri is one of the hardest areas to reach in the Srinagar city region. He says 99 percent of the population are nomads.

The health workers are also met with other challenges, such as skepticism over the COVID vaccination.

Dr Jameel Ahmad Mir, chief medical officer, Srinagar city, explains: "We are satisfied that we are giving them the basic treatment. The vaccination is beneficial and social media about the vaccine [heard] in these parts are unscientific and unfounded.

Dr. Muhammad Ayub, regional medical officer for Faqir Gujri also says that in the beginning, the nomads were "very reluctant to get the vaccine."

But after a campaign, the medical officials said the nomad communities began to co-operate and were extremely thankful for their efforts.

Speaking in Urdu, Raj Muhammad, a Kashmiri nomad and head of the village, said: "We nomads here are thankful to first God and the administration. We have received the vaccination here on time. This team of doctors has come here and they have come door to door to vaccinate. No car can reach here. They have come on foot. We are thankful to everyone."

Nearly 400,000 Indians have lost their lives to Covid-19 according to official figures, although the actual death toll is likely to be far higher.

This footage was filmed on June 21.

Health workers in Kashmir have to trek deep into forests to administer vaccines to Nomads and Bakerwal communities living in the remote areas. The door-to-door campaign was started in June in difficult mountainous areas but the the health workers say the terrain isn’t the challenge. Convincing people is difficult. Vaccinations for the nomadic animal herders in the region - the Bakarwals becomes difficult as these people are constantly on the move. They travel between summer pastures in the Himalayas and winter grazing grounds in the lowland plains, herding their goats, sheep and horses. Filmed in the village of Faqeer Gujri, around 25kms from Srinagar city.

Soundbite 1: Raj Muhammad, Kashmiri nomad and head of the village (Urdu): We nomads here are thankful to first God and the administration. We have recievied the vaccination here on time. This team of doctors has come here and they have come door to door to vaccinate. No car can reach here. They have come on foot. We are thankful to everyone."

Soundbite 2: Dr Hashmat Sultana, medical official (English)

Soundbite 3: Dr Jameel Ahmad Mir, chief medical officer, Srinagar city (English)

Soundbite 4: Dr. Muhammad Ayub, regional medical officer, Faqeer Gujiri