Veroli Zhimo
The race for a COVID-19 vaccine may have ended, but the finishing line is still a blur considering the vaccine hesitancy among the general populace as well as healthcare workers in Nagaland. This, compounded with the ‘infodemic’ around the efficacy of the vaccines, gives the government one more thing to worry about.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) describes vaccine hesitancy as the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines that threatens to reverse progress made in tackling vaccine-preventable diseases. In 2019, WHO listed “vaccine hesitancy” as among the top 10 threats to global health.
While the reasons why people choose not to vaccinate are complex, based on responses to a recent weekly poll taken by The Morung Express, ignorance about how vaccines generally work emerged as one of the key reasons, followed by doubts on efficacy of the vaccines.
Several respondents stated that they would not take the vaccine because they were not tested COVID-19 positive. Similar comments were also observed in other polls taken on various Nagaland-based Facebook groups and pages, signifying a disconcerting lack of basic understanding on how vaccines work.
Vaccines reduce risks of getting a disease by working with the human body’s natural defenses to build protection. Rather than treating a disease after it occurs, vaccines prevent us from getting sick.
According to the State Immunization Officer (SIO), the Nagaland Department of Health and Family Welfare (DoHFW) has formulated a platform where healthcare workers who are already immunized would become ‘influencers’ in their respective session sites.
Considering that a significant fraction of them are far more medically literate than the average person, this could go a long way in addressing concerns about efficacy of the vaccines in the larger population.
However, in the case of those who are unaware of the basics of vaccination, it would take more than a ‘shout out’ from influencers.
The government has to work doubly hard to ensure that rational and scientific information is rapidly disseminated among the masses. Taking a page from the intensive social media campaigns that were rolled out during the early stages of the pandemic, similar campaigns would help create a better understanding of vaccines and its importance in public health.
On the part of those who are educated and aware of the workings, it is a civic responsibility to ensure that accurate and reliable information is shared; so also with social media groups and pages.
There is no single remedy to any problem. However, given the state’s experience with childhood immunisation and administering lakhs of doses in diverse conditions, there is reasonable expectation that the government and its agencies would efficiently bolster awareness, thereby increasing confidence in the vaccine.
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