Assam: Faith in Covid-19 vaccine grows, large turnout seen at vaccination centres

GUWAHATI: The Covid vaccination rollout for the senior citizens and the people in the age group of 45-plus with co-morbidities in Assam has erased the stigma around the jab that it could have adverse effects on health and which was the prime cause of hesitancy even among the health workers when the campaign was launched in mid-January.
Officials in the state health department said that it has come to light that there were listed beneficiaries who did not turn up fearing adverse effects following immunisation (AEFI) on alcoholic persons.
But the third phase has clearly proved such speculations wrong, especially after not even a single case of AEFI was reported for the second consecutive day since the beginning of the drive for the elderly and people with co-morbidities, the Assam health department said.
“It has been reported that some of the people have been hesitant that one of the side effects of the vaccine could be to make men sterile. No health expert has cautioned that an alcoholic cannot take the vaccine,” immunisation spokesperson and director of health services (family welfare) Munindra Nath Ngatey told TOI.
“Perhaps, when they saw that the retired persons walked out of the hospitals fit and fine after getting the jab, they were reassured. In the districts, we are getting an overwhelming response,” he added, as the number of the inoculated persons in the two categories increased significantly on Day 2 of the drive.
Around 2,024 beneficiaries aged 60 years and above, and 553 beneficiaries in the age group of 45 to 59 years with co-morbidities received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine across the state by Tuesday.
About 200 beneficiaries aged 60 years and above, and 23 beneficiaries with co-morbidities, consisting 12 men and 11 women, and a special session of 47 beneficiaries received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Guwahati on Tuesday.
On Monday, around 763 beneficiaries aged 60 years and above, and 224 beneficiaries between 45 to 59 years of age with co-morbidities received the first dose in Assam.
Dr Pranab Bhattacharjee, professor at the cardiology department in GMCH, received the first dose on Tuesday.
“As a doctor, I would like to address a very common question raised from people with heart problems, that heart patients and people with pacemakers, people who have undergone heart surgery or angioplasty can also take this vaccine. So I request all those above 45 years of age and who fall under high cardiovascular risk category to take this vaccine and also to follow Covid appropriate behavior,” Dr Battacharjee said.
B Kalyan Chakravarty, principal secretary with the education department, was among those who took the vaccine at GMCH.
“I took the Covishield vaccine today and I am feeling perfectly fine and would like to appeal to all, especially teachers, to get themselves vaccinated as this will make you feel safer,” he said.