It is rather primarily due to misinformation and spreading of doubts about the vaccination drive against COVID-19 virus that the first preferred group of 60 plus for vaccination is seen having lost the initial enthusiasm and the high degree of participation. Can it be also due to mobility constraints coupled with the hot weather that an air of lethargy is pervading the vaccination exercise? That seems less likely as most of the vaccination centres being nearer to or easily reachable by the targeted people as also what the comparison of figures and data suggest. Unfortunately, the most sensitive and critical area of vaccination, though the largest in the world, has not received the required support base from all quarters mainly due to scoring of political points. Apprehensions of no basis whatever, have been planted in the people and though majority among them have started giving no heed thereto, still it has done its job of bringing in a type of sluggishness or a slight stagnancy in the otherwise normal pace of vaccination. That is quite unfortunate.
Healthcare experts have attributed the inert pace of vaccination of 60 plus to misinformation, unsubstantiated apprehensions and even mobility issues. Again, Executive Director of the Coalition for Food and Nutrition Security says that myths, misconceptions, rumours etc about the COVID-19 vaccines are the biggest hurdle to vaccination coverage. By the time vaccination drive was started, say precisely from March 1 this year at both the Government and private health centres and 60 plus being the first age group preferred for free of cost vaccination by the Government, by now doses of both the jabs should all have been fully over. In other words, the projected target of over 14 crore of people falling in this age group should have been, by now, fully vaccinated. The actual figures, on the contrary, suggest that a paltry 16 percent of them only have been fully vaccinated and while this should be a cause of concern for the healthcare experts, it should be a reason of feeling remorseful for those spreading misinformation about the only means of available protection from the dreaded virus.
While even nearly 7 crore of people from the said group have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, only a little over 2 crore have received both the doses and hence getting fully vaccinated. Why there are causes for concern expressed by the healthcare experts are that in this age group, since there is a larger percentage with co-morbidities hence vulnerable to get infected with the virus, the need to vaccinate them really means saving their lives from getting endangered while those spreading misinformation are putting their lives to greater jeopardy now that new variants and more dreaded forms of this virus are surfacing .Second wave which wrought havoc with the number of infections as well as casualties, however, largely subdued, worries and apprehensions about an imminent third wave, again expected to be more infectious than the second one, makes it obligatory for all concerned to motivate and help the persons of this age group to get vaccinated as fast as possible, now that the problem of availability of the vaccine doses at the vaccination centres across the country, is no problem. Otherwise also, on weekly basis the number of vaccination vials made available far exceeded the demand and if still just 16 percent only from the said age group are vaccinated, it is quite unfortunate and impacts the purpose of the national vaccination drive.
Experts further believe that some people think they will never contract COVID-19 virus , while others believe the virus itself is on the way out and that is just astonishing. Irrational mistrust of scientifically approved vaccines, the experts argue, is also a factor towards vaccine hesitancy. Vaccine hesitancy tends to get accentuated by opinions by those people with no subject expertise. The trend needs to be reversed and a positive and sustained campaign and awareness especially in rural areas needs to be started with full vigour and with the same intensity, penal legal action must be taken against those spreading misinformation about the efficacy and the need of getting vaccinated.
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