The Drug Controller General of India Dr VG Somani announced the approval for emergency use of two Covid-19 vaccines kicking off one of the World's biggest vaccination drives. Developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and by Bharat Biotech, the vaccines could prove to be a decisive turning point in India’s battle against the virus. The overall efficacy of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was stated to be 70.42%, while Bharat Biotech's Covaxin was reported to be "safe, providing a robust immune response".
However, despite the assurances given by the Drug Controller General of India of 100 per cent safety of vaccines, and that no approval would have been given if there is slightest of safety concern, there would be some level of hesitancy in the minds of people going into the inoculation process. The uneasiness would be compounded by the stray voices of vested political leaders and uninformed influencers who are speaking out of turn with unfounded theories.
Misinformation campaigns are very common in new vaccine launches. When Pfizer launched its vaccine in the UK there were fabricated and fake viral social posts talking about the fatal side-effects of jabs. The World Health Organization has listed “vaccine hesitancy” as one of the top 10 threats to global health in 2019. Hesitancy is a reluctance or refusal to get vaccinated despite availability and affordability of a vaccine, to a large extent, is an after-effect of misinformation campaigns.
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister made one of the most ridiculous statements saying, “I am not going to get vaccinated for now... How can I trust BJP’s vaccine…?” Former Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy tweeted questioning if citizens were going to be guinea pigs. In Goa, the social media posts were doing the rounds requesting all 40 MLAs be given a test shot of the vaccine first.
Approval for emergency or restricted vaccine use is normally granted if there is sufficient evidence to suggest that the drug is both safe and effective. Those creating panic and making outrageous and ill-founded statements without sound medical backing, such as vaccine leading to impotency, need to be tackled strongly.
The Sunday bulletin released by the Union Health Ministry showed 18,177 fresh cases of coronavirus across the country, taking the total number of positive cases in the country to 1,03,23,965. The total number of active cases in the country are 2,47,220. Not getting vaccinated out of fear fuelled by political rivalries and fake science would not only leave citizens exposed to the virus for longer periods but will also contribute to its unfettered spread.
While the task at hand would be to prioritize and reach out to those who need the shot first, there will also be a parallel challenge for the Centre and State governments and health authorities of debunking misinformation campaigns and ensuring that the confidence of the people is maintained. In this context, while Goa has undergone a dry run, it must also take on board top medical experts, scientists and researchers to create awareness, educate people and quash all politically-tainted and emotionally-charged rumours.
