Vaccination of a population of 60 or more will be sluggish after the initial highs.Experts raise concerns

Most rural public places lack an elderly-friendly infrastructure.

The pace of vaccination in the population of more than 60 has slowed in the past few weeks since its initial highs, and medical professionals attribute it to mobility issues, misinformation, and unfounded concerns about jabs. I am. According to data from the Ministry of Health, 229 million rupees of elderly people have been completely vaccinated so far, while 617 million rupees have been vaccinated only once with the COVID-19 vaccine.

India’s population of more than 60 was projected to reach Rs 1.43 billion by 2021. This means that only 16 percent have been fully vaccinated so far. Vaccinations for people over the age of 60 and 45 with comorbidity began on March 1 at both government and private centers.

According to the data, an average of about 80.77 Rakı vaccines were given to a population of more than 60 people during the week from March 13 to April 2, but the week between June 5 and 25. The value of is reduced to about 32 easily. Medical professionals have expressed concern about slow vaccinations for people over the age of 60 who are prone to comorbidity and serious illness.

Dr. Sujeet Ranjan, Executive Director of the Food and Nutrition Security Union (CFNS), said myths, misunderstandings and rumors about the COVID-19 vaccine are the biggest hurdles to vaccination.

“Some people think they won’t get COVID-19, others believe that the virus itself is on the way out. Unreasonable distrust of scientifically approved vaccines is also a factor. Repellent has always been a phenomenon in our country, but today it tends to be emphasized by opinions on social media, and even people without subject expertise but broad support can affect people. There is, “he said.

“Some people in rural areas believe that COVID-19 is primarily for urban people. Also, many people on social media have vaccines and their side effects after a few years. I’ve heard it appear. These rumors, suspicions, and fears make it difficult to get rid of the vaccine’s hesitation, “he added.

He also said that most rural public areas have also been observed to lack elderly-friendly infrastructure.
Hospitals have expressed concern about the slow pace of vaccination of more than 60 people who also suffer from the largest number of comorbidities.

Dr. Shuchin Bajaj, Founder Director of the Ujala Cygnus Group of Hospitals, said that vaccination in the elderly is a very real problem. “Among the many factors, one fears that people with previous heart disease may have some problems due to the spread of some unfortunate videos. Some people do CRP (c-reactive protein) tests to see if it’s elevated and feel that they shouldn’t be vaccinated, “says Bajaj. Bajaj said mobility is also a huge issue for people over the age of 60.

“The most important issue is mobility because they can’t actually visit the vaccination center themselves, and they fear they could catch Covid when they enter a crowded area. Various risk factors We need to educate them about and strive to provide vaccinations at their doorsteps, “he said.

Dr. Piyush Goel, senior consultant at Columbia Asia Hospital in Palam Vihar, Gurgaon, said vaccine hesitation was one of the biggest hurdles for large-scale vaccinations. “Since the pace of vaccination has recently slowed among people over the age of 60, there is a risk that hesitation of this vaccine may hinder the scope of this population, which is most vulnerable to COVID-19. “He said.

Dr. Roshan Palresha, an emergency medicine consultant at the Columbia Asian Hospital in Pune, said the recent decline in covid vaccination rates among people in groups of more than 60 remains predisposed to comorbidity and remains sensitive. Said that was the cause of concern. For severe illness.

People over the age of 60 need to understand that while the number of infected people can increase or decrease, their vulnerability to disease and their potential for death remain the same and can only be reduced by vaccines. ” He said.

“We have been successful in reducing HIV / AIDS and polio cases through sustainable and focused media campaigns, but this time it should help. Government representatives need to interact with these people. And sometimes come up with non-monetary incentives to encourage people, “he suggested.

Dr. HK Mahajan, anesthesiologist at Vasant Kunj’s Indian Spinal Injuries Center, said the focus should be on communicating two important vaccine messages. The vaccine provides protection against COVID-19 and the vaccine is safe. Mahajan said vaccine hesitage for people over the age of 60 in India could also be due to false information, myths and skepticism.

To counter this, Mahajan suggested that front-line healthcare professionals and hospitals should issue a statement in favor of vaccination.

“Influential people like movie actors, celebrities should also be used to appeal to the public to get vaccinated,” he said.