Hyderabad: Public representatives swing into action to fight vaccine hesitancy

Charminar: A large number of people are hesitant to get their jab, resulting in low count of vaccination in the southern part of the city. Following which MLAs jumped in to create awareness for vaccination. Rejecting apprehensions about the vaccine they are visiting vaccination centres and giving a message that there should not be any hesitation about the vaccine and asked them to inoculate themselves at the vaccination centres.

Even after MLA's set up several inoculation drive in their constituency only a few people turned up. Witnessing such hesitancy, MLAs including Moazam Khan (Bahadurpura), Kausar Mohiuddin (Karwan), Ahmed Bin Abdullah Balala (Malakpet), Syed Ahmed Pasha Quadri (Yakutpura) and also Corporators in each division are visiting primary health centres, area hospitals to create awareness over vaccination.

Several mass vaccination drives are going on in the city, whereas the vaccination centres in the Old City have low turnouts. While for the last 15 days vaccination drive is going on in SA Imperial in Tolichowki under Karwan constituency and AIMIM party announced a 2-day mass vaccination drive last weekend for all including frontline, age above 45 and age 18-45.

"In this mass vaccination drive with installing 30 counters with a target of 4000 vaccines per day, the people turned out in low numbers and hardly 1500 were vaccinated in these 2 days. To create awareness among people we are holding awareness campaigns, visiting UPHCs, area hospitals, vaccination centres, and asking people to get inoculated," said Mohammed Naseeruddin, Nanal Nagar division Corporator.

To remove vaccination hesitancy among people, on the first day of the drive MLA and all division Corporators have taken vaccine shots," added Naseeruddin.

Similarly, MLA Moazam Khan recently inaugurated a mass vaccination drive at Quli Qutub Shah Polytechnic College at Ramnasthpura under Bahadurpura constituency, and daily inspecting the centre. MLA and local leaders are creating awareness among the high-risk takers and most of them have taken the shot. "The people who are taking jab in the centre are almost frontline workers and high-risk takers and general people are avoiding and hesitating to take the vaccine," said a Corporator.

Meanwhile, to remove vaccination hesitancy in the community, the eminent scholars got themselves vaccinated in a special drive at Kamatipura UPHC in Bahadurpura. Rejecting apprehensive about the vaccine the Ulemas, Islamic scholars, Imam, Mozzain, teachers of Madarsa (Islamic schools), and their family members took the vaccine and gave a message that there should not be any hesitation about the vaccine.