Fear, finances, lack of time reasons for not getting Covid-19 jab: Dharavi residents

Actor Sonu Sood and 36 schoolchildren took part in the drive to motivate people to get the vaccine

Fear of the side effects of Covid-19 vaccine, no time to go to a public hospital to get the vaccine and not having the requisite documents to register and get the vaccine were among the few reasons given by many who took their first shot at Dharavi on Sunday.

Pratibha Pote, 22, was one of the many first-timers. Her parents and brother have been vaccinated, but the side effects of the vaccine made her postpone getting one. "They got fever and body ache. Seeing their condition after getting the jab, I got scared. Every time there was a drive, I kept avoiding it. But this time, my mother insisted that I take the shot," she said.

Her neighbour Sonal Patwa, 21, lost her Aadhaar card and could not register herself earlier for the vaccination. "My father managed to get a new Aadhaar card for me. I completed my graduation this year and am looking for a job, and a vaccination certificate is mandatory everywhere now. I am happy that I managed to take the first shot," she said.

Sonal Patwa could not register for the vaccine earlier as she had lost her Aadhaar card

Chhaya Shinde, 45, and Malamma Pillai, 42, who work as house helps, said it was difficult for them to take time off from work and get the shot. "I was not getting time. With the special vaccination drive being organised here, I decided to not miss the chance," said Shinde. Her husband also took the first jab along with her.

Dharavi's vaccination drive on Sunday, which was organised by Dr Gautam Bhansali's Golden Hour Foundation along with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), had actor Sonu Sood and 36 schoolchildren as participants.

Sood, along with the children, visited Dharavi to motivate the people to get jabbed. While 98 per cent of the eligible population in Mumbai is vaccinated, a significant segment in slums is yet to get even the first dose. NGOs and BMC are trying to reach out to this population.

Pratibha Pote had not taken the jab so far because she was scared of what she called side effects

"We cannot take the COVID situation lightly. According to researchers, there are many in slum areas who are not yet vaccinated. The idea is to get the entire nation jabbed to be COVID-free. I feel there is no one better than the kids of frontline workers who can help motivate their fellow countrymen for the same," said Sood.

In an effort to reach Mumbaikars who cannot afford the vaccine and have not taken the first dose, Golden Hour Foundation has joined hands with the BMC to vaccinate the non-vaccinated population in slums. "BMC has been helping us with data and locations where fewer people have taken vaccines. Presently, we are having the vaccination drive in nine slum locations in Mumbai. The idea is to aggressively vaccinate and cover the entire eligible population to beat the virus," said Dr Bhansali.

98
Percentage of vaccination among eligible population in city