Covid-19 vaccination: opt or not?

Abstract

COVID-19 has brought several changes in our lifestyle and the world as we know it. Till date, we have had over 2.8 million deaths because of the novel coronavirus that started from Wuhan, China. In India, COVID has claimed over 1.65 lakh lives and still remains rampantly at large in the population, with the second wave inbound this April. As on date, there are two vaccines available in India – Covishield & Covaxin. GoI started a nation-wide vaccination drive to eradicate COVID-19 with a phase wise implementation plan. However, major headwinds are expected in the ambitious vaccination drive owing to mixed perception towards the vaccine. We conducted 3 FGDs, 2 long interviews and an online survey to identify the parameters that affect the decision-making process of the vaccination drive and the overall perception towards the vaccine. Fake news and misinformation along with low efficacy of the vaccine appear to be the major reasons of the negative perception towards the vaccine. In order to create better image towards the vaccine, the government should establish clear communication channels with the end customers, communicate execution roadmap well in advance and engage stakeholders from the healthcare industry as they are the ones who influence vaccination process for an end customer.