'People Don’t Want to Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19'

Q: What is your role in the COVID-19 vaccination drive? Are there any challenges?

AWW: People don’t want to get vaccinated. They are scared of getting fever, bodyache; there are also rumours that someone died after taking the vaccine. However, I am still going door-to-door and asking people to take the vaccine.

Q: What other kind of challenges are you facing in the second wave of the pandemic?

AWW: We don’t have any COVID-19 positive cases in our village. Villagers say that this disease is more prevalent in the cities. The only challenge is that I am still asking people to wear masks and maintain social distancing, but they don’t listen.

Q: What challenges are you facing with routine immunisations?

Anganwadi Worker (AWW): Routine immunisations are happening regularly at the Anganwadi centre. There are no major challenges. The Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) comes regularly. However, the beneficiaries don’t want to come to the centre. We have to go to their houses to fetch them.

Q: Are the beneficiaries being provided with other services like Take Home Ration (THR)?

AWW: THR is not being provided to all beneficiaries right now. There are eight pregnant women who are being provided with THR. However, we have 40 children in the school and we are only able to give THR to 18-20 of them in a month.

The beneficiaries blame us. They think that we get the THR from the government but we don’t give it to them. I ask them to go and check the Block office so that they get to know the amount of THR we have received themselves.

Q: Are there any educational activities being organised for children?

AWW: There are no online or offline educational activities happening for children right now.

This interview was conducted with an Anganwadi Worker in Nalanda, Bihar in Hindi on 25 May 2021, and has been translated.

Source: The Indian Express