Misinformation Hurting Vaccination Drive in Haryana

The ambitious vaccination drive of the Union government against Covid-19 has hit a very unusual roadblock in Haryana: misinformation and rumours.

The chief minister’s office in Haryana has been receiving letters from some districts with residents complaining about the contents of the vaccine.

Rumour mills, working overnight, have spread the word that the vaccine contains ‘cow blood’, ‘fat’ and ‘meat’.

Some residents have also expressed concern if Covid-19 is a hoax.

Charkhi Dadri and Nuh districts have the lowest vaccination number, 463 and 470 respectively.

Bharat started the latest round of vaccination on March 1.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took his first dose of the vaccine on March 1 and posted the picture on social media platforms. He also requested the fellow citizens to avoid any misgivings about the vaccine and take one when their turn comes.

He again posted the picture when his 95-years old mother, Heeraben, took her first dose of vaccine in Gujarat.

The Union government has been working overnight to ensure the citizens are vaccinated at the earliest.

Two vaccines, Covishield, manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute of India and Covaxin, developed and manufactured by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, are being used to vaccinate people against Covid-19.