Shillong, Mar 7: The Covid vaccine hesitancy rate among the health care workers throughout the state is 10 percent.

Of 2,505, the total number of unvaccinated heath care workers in government hospitals is 2,456 while in private hospitals only 49, informed Health Minister James K Sangma while replying in the Assembly on Monday.

Reasons for hesitancy

He said there are various reasons behind this hesitancy among the health workers as per a report of the Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH).

These include – some people are worried about the side effects after vaccination, messages on social media that caused concerns, some of them have not yet decided which vaccines to take because there are many choices, some of them believe that natural immunity is sufficient, some are confused by different messages from different sources, some feel they have developed immunity against the virus, some due fear of needles, may affect future pregnancy and others.

Sangma said that the government is making all efforts to conduct counselling and create awareness programmes in this regard.

Counselling has helped vaccination

On the concerns raised by AITC legislator Himalaya Shangpliang that if doctors and nurses are not taking vaccine, how will the government asks the citizens to get vaccinated, the health minister however said that the counselling has helped to a large extent as lots of people are coming to take the vaccines.

“70-80% of people who were earlier hesitant to take the vaccine have now come forward (for vaccination),” he informed.

At the same time he clarified that doctors and health workers undergoing counselling does not mean that they are not mentally sound.

He assertive that counselling is to reassure them that vaccines are required for their benefit.

“Counselling was conducted in the month of May and June last year and now less than 1 percent (of doctors) are yet to take the vaccine,” he informed.