Pakistan is one of the developing countries that has fought hard first in providing vaccine affordability, accessibility, and coverage and then against the social resistance, misinformation, and misconceptions about vaccines. Polio is one of the dark chapters in the history of Pakistan in the war against vaccine hesitancy that unfortunately remains open after so many years of struggle. As the COVID-19 vaccines are all set in motion, an upswing of myths, misleading factors, and fear has been observed in the local community which needs to be addressed. The forthcoming consequential analysis of social resistance against vaccine is required before time otherwise it can lead to devastating repercussions in the way to retard the pandemic.
The advent of social media platforms has provided the platform to address thousands of people at once without having the proper knowledge about the topic. Moreover, Political and religious heads have got hold and benefit of the scientifically unaware and illiterate people in misleading them against the COVID-19 vaccine. Misinformation has been widely spread through these mediums and in addition to that renowned figures narrating misconceptions on television screens and social platforms have also fueled the propagation of misconceptions in lay man’s hand. In Pakistan, there are only a handful of people that can understand the science behind the mechanism of action of vaccine, the rest can easily be engulfed by the ocean of misconceptions about vaccines.
“It would be unfair to humankind to drag political and religious propaganda to devalue the benefits of COVID-19 vaccine”
Some of the bizarre doubts that have been observed clouding people’s mind are;
- Inclusion of vaccine with Nanochips to gain control through 5G
- The vaccine may alter the genetic code (DNA) of human beings
- The vaccine may cause autism and infertility
- COVID-19 vaccines are not safe and contain harmful ingredients
- After the vaccination, the world will be free of this pandemic in a snap
- Development of the COVID-19 vaccine was rushed so it may have skipped important steps or proper safety protocols
- The development process of the COVID-19 vaccine included fetal tissues or Islamically prohibited ingredients
Currently approved Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are primarily based on mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid). That can be effortlessly be portrayed as a manufacturing protocol for the synthesis of COVID-19 “Spike Protein” that can induce immune response as the body identifies it as a foreign object. Scientists have been working on this mRNA vaccine technology way before COVID-19 but as the pandemic emerged affecting millions of people around the world’s whole scientific community got together to put their whole efforts and immense funding was provided to carry out the experiments. COVID-19 vaccine includes instructions only to make spike protein excluding the part of the virus that is infectious; thus working along with the body’s natural defense mechanism and producing antibodies. Essentially the vaccine provides the facial composite of the virus and layout the antibodies blueprint, so that body can recognize the virus when it enters the body and initiates an immune mechanism before it can overtake and damage an infected person.
“In a nutshell, COVID-19 vaccine aims to teach the body how to identify and battle against the real virus”
The administration of the vaccine may result in mild side effects including soreness at the injection site, headache, fatigue, muscle or joint pain, and fever. The development of such accustomed symptoms is an indication of the establishment of immunity. Vaccines and other pharmaceutical products go through numerous safety tests before launching for public use so if you trust the medicines then you should blindly trust the vaccine because they pass through the same safety protocols.
The accelerated research without the impediment of financial resources resulted in swift advancement and vaccine development. The instantaneous development of vaccines can be attributed to the advancement in biological science. Anti-vaccine conspiracies are widespread on the global scale which needs to be addressed beforehand. There is no scientific background of the misinformation spread regarding the Nanochip inclusion in the vaccine, or that it can alter the DNA and the use of a fetal substance in the development of the vaccine. The development of autism and infertility as a result of vaccines is another heresy comment that has no scientific backing. It should also be kept in mind that despite the provision of the vaccine the pandemic won’t fade away all of a sudden but with a collective and organized effort it will eventually.
Pakistan being underdeveloped, financially dependent with a majority of uneducated individuals, and having an unsatisfactory track record with vaccines should emphasize the vaccine administration. There is a need for a collective effort of government, doctors, scientists, researchers, health educators, and influential individuals to enlighten the knowledge of the disease, its prevention, and the importance of the vaccine. The organization of educational programs, social and print media can be used to communicate to people about the importance of the vaccine, and defying misleading information is very vital. Otherwise, the social resistance and hesitancy against vaccines could interrupt the efforts to constrain the COVID-19 pandemic.
“To bridge the gap between science and COVID-19 vaccine prejudice is the need of an hour”