Mumbai: NGO ropes in kids to fight Covid-19 vaccination hesitancy

Students from Maneckji Gazdhar High School with a beneficiary, during a vaccination drive for slum residents, at Khar on Sunday. Pic/Anurag Ahire

A city-based non-profit has roped in school children as ambassadors to promote vaccination in slum populations that are hesitant to take the shots. As part of its special drive, Dr Gautam Bhansali's Golden Hour Foundation took the help of students from Manekji Gajdhar High School at Khar to reach out to unvaccinated residents from slum pockets on Sunday.

"Children have a lasting impact on adults. They are the best ambassadors. We, therefore, took the help of school kids to spread awareness about the free vaccination drive we are holding and motivate them to take the jab," said Dr Gautam Bhansali, who is also the chief coordinator of all private hospitals for vaccination and Covid-19.

He said while over 90 per cent of Mumbai's eligible population has been vaccinated, there are many who have not been able to take the vaccines because of hesitancy, long queues at the government centres or not being affordable to go to private centres.

Arham Bhansali, a Std IX student who was part of the drive, said they spent an hour with the people at Khar Danda slum area. "We started off at noon. We found several reasons for the vaccine hesitancy. Some thought it would lead to blood clotting, some had fear of side effects like fever. We tried to emotionally connect with them and requested them to take the shot as it is safe and it will help us stop the Covid-19 spread," he said.

Saanvi Kalyankar, another Std IX student from the group, said it is only when everyone takes the vaccine against Covid-19 that the virus will be defeated. "We realised that many people still had hesitancy in taking the vaccine. We explained to them that it is good for their family and themselves and only when all adults take the vaccine, we children will be safe and our turn to take the vaccine will come. We can safely return to school," she said.

The drive has involved 20-22 school students for each of its sessions. The Golden Hour Foundation along with Ajanta Pharma, World Trade Centre and others have raised R3-R4 crore as a part of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative to help slum residents. In the last 3- 4 days, Dr Bhansali said, 11,640 people have been vaccinated in nine slum locations including Borivali, Malad, Dindoshi, Bandra, Khar and Juhu.

"The BMC is helping us with locations where they think fewer people have taken vaccination. They are helping us with the information and we are reaching out to these locations with our team of doctors, nurses and vaccines. Students are helping us establish the emotional connect, sensitise and appeal to them on the need to take vaccines," he said.

So far, 1,39,64,459 doses have been administered in Mumbai of which nearly 80,68,192 jabs have been given to men and the remaining 58,92,888 are women recipients. About 50,77,543 people have taken both doses, shows official data. To encourage more women to take the jab, the BMC has introduced a once-a-week special session only for women.