New Delhi: Four in 10 unvaccinated adults over the age of 70 were reluctant to shoot coronavirus disease (Covid-19), according to a government-commissioned survey, underscoring the need for an effective message on the ground among the target population group.
The survey, conducted by telephone of more than 4,000 participants, also found that 57% of unvaccinated people in the 70 and over age group were concerned about the safety or effectiveness of the vaccine and 29% thought that they were too old to receive the vaccine. .
People are considered hesitant to get the vaccine if they are unwilling or unsure of getting the vaccine.
Experts stressed the need to counter vaccine reluctance, especially in older people who are at high risk of developing severe forms of viral disease. According to data from the Union Ministry of Health, just 50% of India’s population of 138 million people over the age of 60 have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Dr AB Dey, head of the department of geriatrics at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, said the survey participants were among those already enrolled in 18 states and union territories for the ‘Longitudinal Study on Aging of India (LASI)
AIIMS New Delhi has been designated as the hub for LASI, a study commissioned by the Ministry of Health in 2016 to track aging patterns and diseases affecting older people in India.
“As part of the longitudinal study on aging, we have a database of participants, and we used that database for this telephone survey. We had their contact details as part of the larger study cohort and used them as a subsample. People were called and asked to answer questions, specially designed with this survey in mind, â€said Dr Dey, head of the department of geriatrics at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi. .
For the survey, in addition to the participants, a family member or friend was also interviewed whom the participants designated as an informant.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the lives of people across the world, including India,” said snippets of results documented as part of the investigation which HT accessed.
The survey highlighted that some of the main reasons for vaccine reluctance in India were concerns about its safety and effectiveness, the ability to protect oneself, mistrust of government and business, and being too old. to receive the vaccine. He said additional attention may be needed to achieve high levels of immunization among one of the most at-risk groups – the older generations.
“Even before the Covid-19 vaccination campaign began, states were advised to focus on both vaccine hesitancy and greed issues. Several awareness campaigns have been carried out by field workers at community level in all states, â€said a senior government official with knowledge of the case, on condition of anonymity.
Public health expert Dr Chandrakant Lahariya said it was important to address the root cause of vaccine reluctance to be able to successfully treat the problem. “This must be a thorough exercise, bearing in mind that people belonging to different sections of society, residing in different regions and age groups, because people belonging to different population groups will have a different reason for hesitate about it, â€Dr. Lahariya said. .
