By: Majid Hussain
Srinagar: At a time apprehensions of ‘severe side-effects’ of COVID-19 vaccine like impotence and infertility make people ‘hesitant’ to administer the dose, the health experts here have claimed that the vaccine is the only risk-free weapon to combat deadly virus and its variants.
A good number of people in Kashmir are still reluctant to take the vaccine as they believe the same is ‘ineffective’ and may cause severe health issues like sterility and impotence.
Health experts however termed as baseless that COVID-19 vaccine has any serious side-effects, saying 80 percent of the population need to be immunized against the virus to achieve herd immunity.
Talking to ‘Precious Kashmir’, Dr Saleem Khan, Nodal Officer for COVID-19 and Head of the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, GMC, Srinagar, said vaccination is necessary if people want to survive the approaching 3rd of COVID-19.
He said 80 percent of the population needs to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity to combat the approaching 3rd of Corona-Virus which he said might be more lethal than previous phases of the pandemic.
Dr Khan said COVID-19 vaccine is effective and there is scientific evidence available about its side-effects.
“30 percent of the population including children below 18 years and pregnant women are vulnerable to the infection and they can be affected in case people continue to be hesitant to take the dose. There is no scientific evidence that COVID-19 vaccine has any side-effects,” he said.
He also said that 60 percent of the population in the United States administered 2nd dose of COVID-19 vaccine while Israel achieved a cent percent target and resumed normal life.
Dr Saleem Khan said had there been any authenticity in what is fuelled about the COVID-19 vaccine; America and Israel like countries would not have recommended the same for their people.
“With a vaccine, many more people could become immunized without getting sick. If not enough people take the vaccine, though, achieving herd immunity becomes much more difficult. So far as myths about serious side effects of vaccines are concerned, these are baseless allegations as some anti-vaccine mafia is spreading misinformation regarding vaccines on social media,” he added.
Renowned influenza expert Dr Nisar ul Hassan said the vaccine is effective enough to combat the virus. He also blamed social media for spreading misinformation about COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr Nisar said the reason to make people hesitant to take the dose is because it is new and was created quickly. He said in the past, development and approval of most vaccines took years. For the COVID-19 vaccine, creation and approval took less than a year.
“I appeal to people not to get influenced by misinformation and get vaccinated as quickly as possible. We do not have any other alternative to fight the pandemic but getting vaccinated is the only option to contain the virus,” he told ‘Precious Kashmir’.