As COVID ravages through India in its second wave, the vaccination drive is also on overdrive, trying to make sure that as many gain protection from the worst effects of COVID.

Across the world the vaccine drive is in full speed. The “global 7 day moving average of administered doses is 18.2 million per day”. And, yet what we see, across the board, is a tremendous vaccine hesitancy. I was talking to a colleague in Australia, and she said that since the country is relatively safe, and there is so much news around clots and vaccines – both Astra Zeneca and J&J – no one is in a particular hurry to get inoculated. Similarly, in conversation in India across classes, I get the sense that people who are eligible are still waiting. And, in part the media is to blame.

In a world where we are still locked down – our window to the outside world is news. And, bad news sells more than good news. At a very fundamental level, the need for feeding the news cycle with content, without looking at accuracy of nuance, has led to misconceptions, vaccine hesitancy, and often, risky behaviour.

One of the most glaring instances that stands out is the coverage of the pandemic impact on Indians, in mainstream media, in the early part of this year. The narrative was that Indians are immune because of a variety of socio-cultural, dietary, environmental reasons – without data, based on views of dubious experts.  An immediate outcome was people dropping their guard thinking they were immune, and the virus hit back with a vengeance. On the other hand, there were all headlines all over the place screaming vaccinated people get COVID, and blood clots caused by vaccines – conveniently forgetting to add in the headline that this is “one case per 250,000 people vaccinated—0.0004%—and one death in a million.”

Vaccines save lives. The anti vaxxer movement has been based on a lie, that has gained wings amongst conspiracy theorists and those who believe that science and corporations will conspire to enslave all people. And, the panic caused by the media by using numbers selectively is adding to the misinformation being spread by the anti-vaccine lobby.

Why should you take the COVID-19 vaccine:

The COVID-19 vaccines produce protection against the disease, as a result of developing an immune response to the SARS-Cov-2 virus.  Developing immunity through vaccination means there is a reduced risk of developing the illness and its consequences. This immunity helps you fight the virus if exposed. Getting vaccinated may also protect people around you, because if you are protected from getting infected and from disease, you are less likely to infect someone else. This is particularly important to protect people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19, such as healthcare providers, older or elderly adults, and people with other medical conditions.

I have ensured that everyone in my family who is eligible to take the vaccine, has done so. I have myself taken the vaccine. Because I can either be scared about being 1 death in a million (vaccine reaction), or be scared of all those people around me who are contracting covid. And now that we have a third vaccine being introduced in India – Sputnik V, a Russian vaccine which has now been approved in 60 countries and has confirmed a 97.6% efficacy according to analysis of data from 3.8 million vaccinated persons in Russia – I really see no reason for anyone to be afraid of taking the jab.

We can be scared of something that may never happen (a reaction to the vaccine that impacts one in a million) or be scared of something that has a high likelihood of happening – contracting COVID in its full intensity if not inoculated. I hope all of us make the right choice.