Like polio vaccination, so many myths and misconceptions are attached to the COVID-19 vaccination. This is because, it is still not clear whether, after vaccination, people will return to their normal health or not. Researchers say that the possibility of being infected after vaccination is still there. Amid this uncertainty, the efforts of the world bodies to vaccinate every single man may be marred by the prevailing myths and misconceptions.
One of the strongest beliefs attached to COVID vaccine is that it may hurt fertility, which is something very serious in the context of being Muslim. Some people believe that if they have a strong faith in God, no virus can attack them, so nothing will happen. Some are of the view that there is no virus and it is just a propaganda of multinationals to sell their expensive medicines and vaccines. Some say COVID-19 vaccine might alter the DNA and change human physiology. Some people talk about the risks of side effects of the vaccine and claim that the disease is rather less dangerous than the vaccine. They assume that they’re better off not getting vaccinated. Some say it is not fully effective, that’s why it is not worth to be vaccinated. The questions which need to be discussed at broader level are:

With the believe that there is a need to change the collective mindset of the people to make COVID vaccination successful and meaningful, SDPI is organizing an online webinar titled: ‘Myths and Misconceptions about COVID-19 Vaccination’ on Monday under its policy tagline campaign “No one is safe unless everyone is safe.”

Moderator: Dr. Abid Suleri, Executive Director, SDPI

Speaker: Dr. Javed Akram; Vice Chancellor, University of Health Sciences Lahore