Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s health workers have come across a variety of reasons from people who are yet to take the Covid vaccine.
Crowded vaccination centres, lack of knowledge about whether Covid vaccines should be taken during or post-pregnancy, getting Covid after taking the first dose or doubt about the efficacy of vaccines since people are getting infected even after taking two doses — health workers have heard these and more reasons from a section of people who have still not taken the vaccine.
There are others who took their first dose but have not taken the second though the due dates have crossed.
The Telegraph reported on Monday that there were over 19 lakh people in the state whose second doses have become overdue, a term used by health department officials to denote those whose maximum recommended gap between two doses of Covid vaccines has passed.
“During our door-to-door visits, many lactating mothers tell us that they have doubts whether they should be taking Covid vaccines. They are worried that the vaccines may have some negative impact on their babies,” said a KMC official. The women were not sure what would be the right time for them to take the dose, the official said.
Apprehensions about taking the vaccine were prevalent among some pregnant women, too, said KMC officials.
When KMC’s health workers visited their homes, these women or their family members said though most others in the family have taken the jabs, the pregnant women did not take the vaccine fearing adverse reactions. The families feared that any adverse reaction arising out of the Covid vaccination could have an impact on both the mother and child.
“We tell them about the various guidelines issued by our governments where both pregnant women and lactating mothers have been recommended to take the jabs. While some of them turn up at a centre to take the vaccine, others still stay away,” said the official.
An official said a relative of an employee in the borough where he works came to take the vaccine a year after giving birth. The woman was under the impression that she would be too weak to take the jab within a year after childbirth.
A guideline issued by the Union health ministry in July about vaccination for pregnant women said: “a pregnant woman who opts for vaccination could be vaccinated at any time of the pregnancy.”
An FAQ published on the ministry’s website says: “lactating women are also considered for Covid vaccine as there are no known adverse effects on the neonate who is breastfeeding. In fact there is a possibility of passage of protective antibodies to the child, which may have a beneficial effect.”
Other reasons for not getting vaccinated range from long waits at the vaccination centres to doubts about efficacy of vaccines as even fully vaccinated people have tested positive for Covid. The health workers are telling them that the vaccination centres are no longer crowded like they were in July-August.
“We are telling people with doubts about vaccine efficacy that there is empirical evidence to show that doubly vaccinated people mostly have mild symptoms. We are telling them that vaccination has ensured lesser hospitalisation and fewer severe cases,” said the ward level official.
A few who missed their second doses were those who tested positive for Covid after taking the first dose. They have to wait for three months after they were infected to be able to take the second dose, said a KMC doctor.
