[ Felix Anthony ]
CHANGLANG, 2 Aug: Changlang Deputy Commissioner Dr Devansh Yadav said that church leaders can play an important role in removing vaccine hesitancy fuelled by misinformation.
“As leaders of various churches in the district, you have an important role to play to stop the misinformation and remove vaccine hesitancy among the people of the district,” the DC said during an online meeting with the leaders of different churches in the district on Monday.
Referring to a misinformation in the district that claimed that the coronavirus was fake and no one needed to take the vaccine, the DC said “such an outlandish claim places us all in a vulnerable situation in view of a potential third wave.”
“We need to fight it together. Fighting misinformation is as important as fighting
the virus itself,” the DC said.
Seeking to dispel some of the common myths regarding the vaccine, the DC said, “Over 70,000 people in the district have taken at least the first dose. If there are side effects, it would have been brought to our notice. So far, no one has come up with serious side effects, except for slight fever, which is a sign of the vaccine working in the body,” he said.
“Death within two years after taking the vaccine and impotency due to vaccine are myths that we need to dispel from the mind of the people,” he told the church leaders.
“Hetlong, Chamro, Tengmo and Longman in Jairampur subdivision, Panchun, Water Pump, Nalong, Ongman and Samkhidong in Kharsang subdivision, Jotinjoda, Sinwang and Sasun-I in Manmao circle, Tempum, Mossang Putok, Lungpang and Namgoi in Rima-Putok circle, and Phungsa in Yatdam circle are the lowest vaccinated villages in the district,” the DC said, and sought cooperation from the church leaders in ensuring 100 percent vaccination coverage in the district by the end of the next month.
Speaking on behalf of the representatives of the churches, Tangsa Baptist Churches Association (TBCA) executive secretary Wangtum Ronrang promised to the DC to create awareness among the people in the lowest vaccinated villages and encourage them to take the vaccine.
Representatives of the TBCA, the Church of Christ, the Presbyterian church, the Christian revival church and the Catholic church were present at the meeting.
