VP Naidu asks medical fraternity to dispel COVID vaccine hesitancy

Bengaluru: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday urged the medical fraternity and the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to take up special awareness campaigns to educate the people about the safety and importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

Inaugurating 'Vaccinate India Programme', an initiative of the Sustainable Goals Coordination Center of the Government of Karnataka in collaboration with Give India Foundation, the Vice President said, "There appears to be hesitancy in some quarters to get vaccinated. It is absolutely essential to educate and create awareness among those who are still harbouring doubts."

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Calling for turning the COVID vaccination drive into a 'Jan-Andolan', Naidu exhorted all people's representatives to ensure that everyone is vaccinated in their constituencies. He also urged the media to educate people on the need to shed vaccine hesitancy.

"False beliefs need to be dispelled by providing accurate information," he stressed.

Observing that vaccination is the most effective shield against COVID-19, the Vice President said that it would help in preventing hospitalization and lessen the severity of the disease. "In other words, even if infected by the virus, the disease will be mild," VP said.

Noting that the COVID recovery rate in the country has reached 97.6 per cent, he cautioned, "We are still not totally out of the woods and there is every need for each one of us to continue with all Covid-related protocols and precautions".

Emphasising that the fight against Coronavirus cannot be won without people's cooperation, Naidu appealed to everyone to wear masks, wash hands frequently, observe safe distancing and lead a disciplined and healthy lifestyle. He asked the youngsters to avoid junk food and eat properly cooked traditional Indian food which is more suited to our bodily and climatic conditions.

The Vice President said that the pandemic has brought into sharp focus the need to fill the gaps in our health infrastructure from urban centres to rural hinterlands on a priority. Stressing the need to bestow special attention on backward and remote areas in this regard, he urged the private sector to join hands with the government to give a major boost to the health infrastructure.

Pointing out that even the most advanced nations with modern and better medical facilities could not effectively cope with the magnitude of the crisis created by COVID-19, the Vice President said that concerted action by the Government of India, all the state governments and Union Territories has enabled the country to contain COVID-19 in a fairly satisfactory manner.

Lauding the Centre government and all the states for working collectively to inoculate more and more people against COVID-19, he expressed his happiness that so far 58 crore vaccine doses have been administered in the country.

He also complimented the Give India Foundation for supplementing the efforts of the government.

The Governor of Karnataka Thawarchand Gehlot, Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj Bommai, Karnataka Ministers Dr K Sudhakar and Shri Munirathna and Give India Foundation's Founder Atul Satija were among those present on the occasion.