PROTEST: There are widespread protests against governments making Covid-19 vaccinations mandatory. Several employers refuse to recruit persons who have not been vaccinated and even sack employees who refuse to take the jab.
By Shalini Saksena
Enquiries with epidemiologists revealed that as high as 30% of middle and upper-middle class Indians consider Covid-19 a myth and a money making racket invented by pharma companies!
India, till date, has administered 174 crore jabs. Of this, 90,65,94,301 are total first doses and 74,85,79,211 are total second doses given to people aged 18-plus. Apart from this, 5,31,94,507 are total first doses and 1,96,41,290 are total second doses administered to those aged 15-18 years while 1,84,90,152 precaution doses administered so far. While it is heartening to see that such a large population of the country is vaccinated, there is still a huge percentage of population that remains unvaccinated. A survey by LocalCircle on booster shots revealed startling numbers: 29 per cent said they had Omicron-COVID so they plan to take it later; another 29 per cent said that they are waiting for daily cases to reduce to take the dose. Eight per cent said that the precaution/booster dose isn’t helpful and do not plan to take it, 28 per cent said they are awaiting data to see if it is effective and then take it, 58 per cent likely to take in the coming months. The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on 16 January last year with the healthcare workers getting the jab in the first phase.
Just a common cold Take an example. Munna Kumar a villager from Uttar Pradesh despite being double vaccinated still believes that COVID-19 is nothing but a myth. “Humare gaon mein sab vaccinated hain (Eveeybody in our village is vaccinated). But they still think that is nothing but a new kind of common cold. And the only precaution to take is to drink hot beverage, a kada, if you get a cold or a cough. Koi bhi mask nahin pehenta gaon main, zaroorat hi nahin hain (Nobody wears a mask, it is not needed),” he said.
A lady in Bengaluru (Sudha Jalan), again fully vaccinated, who tested positive in the third wave, believes that it is nothing but a way to create fear in our minds. “See the kind of fear this disease has created. Even when HIV first came, it didn’t this kind of mass hysteria among people. I have not stepped out in two years. When I tested positive, during the third wave I had a bad cold and slight headache. But I have other underlying health issues. But my son, daughter-in-law and grand-daughter didn’t have the usual symptoms. The guy came to test and declared we were all positive. This, after he asked, if we wanted a negative report. So obviously, this whole COVID is a sham, what exactly only governments know,” Jalan said.
Is it lack of awareness that COVID is a dangerous disease? Parag Talankar, director, Planning & Mobilisation, who has been leading the Kavach: National Vaccination Adoption programme of Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society pan India tells you that the centre and states have done enough to spread awareness about how dangerous coronavirus is. “It has less to do with lack of awareness that COVID is dangerous and more to do with behavioural pattern pan India. This pattern stems from the rumours that have been circulating related to the virus and the vaccine per se. ‘Usko ho gaya thha aur woh mar gaya (He had got jabbed and he died)’ is a common statement that has kept several people from getting jabbed. Men saying that women don’t need the jab since they stay indoors, is commonplace in a metro like Delhi. Awareness is a word that is being used in a very broad sense. Camps were and are being held. ‘We have all the information, but we are adamant, we will not get jabbed’. The challenge is to bring such people to these camps – like last mile connectivity,” Talankar explains.
Is it a cultural/religious mindset? One is told that there are certain pockets and clusters where one will find that people peg not getting jabbed because they belong to a certain community. “The catch here is to counsel them. It has been found that a push is all that is needed,” he said. Sending mixed signals In mid-April (2021), when the number of COVID cases began to skyrocket, Dr VK Paul, Niti Aayog member, who is at the forefront of the country’ Coronavirus response, had recommended that people consult alternative therapy practitioners if they have mild or asymptomatic disease. His statement triggered criticism from doctors. “This is astounding and so misleading. It will encourage people to sit at home, drinking such concoctions and by the time they reach hospital, it will be too late,” Rajan Sharma, ex-national president of the Indian Medical Association, told DW. Not tech savvy enough Not everyone in India has smartphones.
“Many have the old style mobile. Registering on Co-Win can prove to be a chore. Such people find it easier to forego the vaccine than take the pains to find out how to register. In our Kavach programme we found that if we lent this service, they were willing to get vaccinated,” Talankar said. What are the conspiracy theories? There are several, ranging from Punjab to Bihar — each state with its unique theory. But the general and most common conspiracy across the country was: Don’t get jabbed, the vaccine has a chip. This will help governments to keep tabs on you and what you are doing. Punjab: If you get jabbed, you will die immediately. There is a move by the government to kill people in order to reduce the population. Maharashtra:
The women (of marriageable age) should not get the vaccine, they will become infertile. Men should not get jabbed at it will make them impotent. Bihar: We are fully aware that the virus is dangerous but we don’t want to get the vaccine; we may get a new disease. North-east: We don’t know what kind of vaccine this is. So many people have died. But this was short-lived and people later came out and got themselves vaccinated. Delhi: What is the point in getting women vaccinated? They don’t need it. As it is they remain indoors.
Courtesy: News 9 Live