Pakistan has started registration for all citizens above 19 years to receive the coronavirus vaccine. The phased registration to receive the jabs has now been opened for all adult citizens. Vaccination centres have even been established in small cities and towns. However, the immunization drive is still being hampered by vaccine hesitancy and conspiracy theories.
According to the NCOC, Pakistan has administered 6.13 million doses of the virus. More than 3.18 million people have been partially vaccinated, while 1.51 million have received the first jab. Pakistan is currently administering Chinese vaccines which are given in two doses separated by 28 days, and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine which is given with a gap of 84 days.
The provision of vaccines is being considered the best option to fight the pandemic. The supply of vaccines to developing countries has also improved after Western countries have inoculated a large portion of their population. The United States has administered more than 254 million doses, while China is aiming to vaccinate 40 percent of its population by June.
Despite the rising number of vaccinations, there are still numerous conspiracies to thwart the inoculation drive as a sinister campaign to control populations. As if the panic created by the pandemic was not enough, a viral statement attributed to French virologist and Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier stating that all those who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 will die within two years has left people scared.
The media had reported the false claims without any verification. Although the scientist had called the idea of vaccinating masses during the pandemic an unacceptable medical error, he had never claimed the people who receive the virus will be unable to survive. Mild symptoms such as fever, nausea and body aches are common side effects but such controversies will surely jeopardize the campaign.
It has been more than a year since the coronavirus pandemic struck the world. It is deplorable to see the negative propaganda being spread on social media against the vaccine. These baseless and unfounded rumours and conspiracies are causing concern among the people which can cause irreparable damage to the nation.
