Directions: Read the passage carefully and answer the following questions below.
The vaccination drive in India began on January 16. As of June 7, 232 million people have been vaccinated. We must recognize the major challenges in vaccinating the entire population. The foremost challenge has been a supply deficit. Announcing a reoriented vaccine policy on June 7, the Prime Minister announced a coherent path forward. Starting from June 21, the Union government will take charge of 75 per cent of the total procurement, and provide vaccines to states at no cost. Two other complex challenges that need immediate focus are vaccine hesitancy and the much-discussed digital divide in the country. With no “one-size- fits-all” solution to vaccine hesitancy, contextualized and curated approaches are crucial. The WHO has put forth the BeSD (behaviouraland social drivers) vaccination model, which emphasizes “motivation” as the vanguard of human psychology during a vaccination drive. Countries like the US and Israel have successfully driven up their Covid vaccination coverage by incentivising and motivating citizens. Unfortunately, in India, misinformation, disinformation and misplaced beliefs have led to fears about potential harmful effects of vaccines.
The diversity of India necessitates community engagement at the local level to counter this narrative of misinformation. Local authorities, cultural leaders and influencers must be empowered to spread the right information on vaccines. Indore, for instance, has set up crisis management committees at the district, block, panchayat and ward levels with public representatives to engage with people. A successful information campaign requires dissemination through mediums that evoke trust. Local languages and dialects should be used to engage people via local radio, television channels and regional newspapers. Local artists can be encouraged to ideate and innovate through music, murals, graffiti, dance and drama. In the tribal districts of Chhattisgarh, for example, popular folk songs are being used to highlight the benefits of vaccination.
It is important to introduce solutions which bridge the digital divide. However, it is imprudent to suggest that only those with smartphones are getting vaccinated. Besides self-registration, the CoWin platform facilitates on-camp vaccine registration, which accounts for 55 per cent of the total doses administered. Over 2.7 lakh common service centres for vaccine registration will now benefit the unconnected. A toll-free helpline number 1075 has been activated for those without internet. Similarly, districts can explore missed-call campaigns, asking citizens to give a missed call on local helplines, which could ensure that minimal infrastructure is being optimised for processing high-volume user requests. Vaccines mitigate the chances of contracting Covid-19. There is no caveat to this singular truth. There is much to draw from the robust diversity and vibrance of India to create an effective combination of insightful messaging, impactful mediums and digital interventions. Thinking local and utilising established networks to create culturally resonant messages is the need of the hour to reduce vaccine hesitancy, bridge the digital divide and achieve vaccine saturation.
1) What’s the main reason for the unsuccessful vaccination drive in India as compared to o ther nations like the US and Israel?
A. Making covid-19 vaccines not easily accessible and free or subsidized increases the barrier for vaccination.
B. Many people in India are taking a wait-and- see approach right now until other people they know have been vaccinated, or they have more approved vaccines to choose from.
C. Vaccine acceptance requires transparency in processes and effective communication which is lacking in India.
D. In India many politicians guarantee that a vaccine is safe and effective, in our hyperpolarized world, these comments are met with skepticism.
E. All of the above
Sol:
Refer to the first paragraph- “Countries like the
US and Israel have successfully driven up their
Covid vaccination coverage by incentivising and
motivating citizens. Unfortunately, in India,
misinformation, disinformation and misplaced
beliefs have led to fears about potential harmful
effects of vaccines.”
From the above quoted lines w e can say that
option C is the correct answer.
2) What are the steps taken to spread th e r ight information on vaccines as per the passage?
A. A team of healthcare experts can help guide vaccine promotion efforts.
B. The need to dispel rumours and misinformation is important; the message cannot be solely negative or instill a fear of punitive actions.
C. The administration should provide information using various forms of communications, such as, posters, audio-visual media, community radio, phone helplines, print, electronic and social media and phone helplines in easy to understand formats and local languages.
D. Both A and B
E. The administration of any Covid-19 vaccine must be preceded with detailed counseling with information describing Covid-19 symptoms, details of the vaccine, side effects and relevant contact numbers for assistance and reporting in case of an adverse event.
Sol:
Refer to the second paragraph- “Local
authorities, cultural leaders and influencers must
be empowered to spread the right information on
vaccines. A successful information campaign
requires dissemination through mediums that
evoke trust. Local languages and dialects should
be used to engage people via local radio,
television channels and regional newspapers.
Local artists can be encouraged to ideate and
innovate through music, murals, graffiti, dance
and drama. In the tribal districts of Chhattisgarh, for example, popular folk songs are being used
to highlight the benefits of vaccination.”
From the above quoted lines we can say that
option C is the correct answer.
3) Which of the following can b e i nferred f rom the passage above?
A. The ambit of the vaccination drive should move beyond just the district bureaucracy to the extensive network of public services.
B. It will take people time before they are comfortable with a new vaccine. These people should be encouraged but not threatened or forced via mandates that undermine confidence.
C. Immunity after vaccination might be equal or even greater than the immunity that results from infection.
D. Getting a vaccine manufactured at scale is an economic problem. But getting people to agree to get vaccinated involves social science.
E. None of the above.
Sol:
If you go through the passage carefully you
come to know that the passage is about getting
a vaccine approved, is a scientific and medical
problem. The most effective strategies against
vaccine hesitancy are to increase vaccine
knowledge and awareness, improve access to
vaccines, and to broadcast the stories of those
who have taken the vaccines.
So option B can be inferred.
4) What according to the passage does “ digital divide” mean?
A. The gap between individuals, households, businesses and geographic areas at different socio-economic levels with regard to both their opportunities to access information and communication technologies.
B. The gap between rich and poor on the basis of accessibility in the digital world and money they have at different levels.
C. The gap of economic, educational, and social inequalities between those who have computers and online access and those who do not only in urban areas.
D. Both A and B E. Both B and C
Sol:
Digital divide means – The gap between
individuals, households, businesses and
geographic areas at different socio-economic
levels with regard to both their opportunities to
access information and communication
technologies.
Hence option A is the correct answer.
5) Which of the following i s the mo st suitable ti tle for the above passage?
A. Vaccination: Fear of layman
B. Digital divide: The biggest problem
C. Inoculation of vaccine drive
D. How India can combat vaccine hesitancy
E. None of the above
Sol:
The most suitable title for the above passage is –
“How India can combat vaccine hesitancy”.
Because the passage is about vaccine hesitancy
and the steps involved to combat the fear among
the people. Plus as the vaccination drive
expands beyond frontline workers, it is important
to make sure that Indians can make an informed
decision about getting vaccinated.
6) Which of the following is true to the context of the passage?
A. India commenced the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines on January 6 amidst concerns about the lack of transparency around protocols, the approval of vaccines and adverse events in clinical trials.
B. TheCoWin platform facilitates off-camp vaccine registration, which accounts for 5 per cent of the total doses administered.
C. Vaccines increase the chances of contracting Covid-19. There are many doubts to this singular truth.
D. A toll-free helpline number 1075 has been activated for those without the internet as one of the steps to minimize the digital divide.
E. In the tribal districts of Odisha, for example, popular folk songs are being used to highlight the benefits of vaccination.
Sol:
Only option D is correct, remaining all the
options are incorrect.
Refer to the third paragraph- A toll-free helpline
number 1075 has been activated for those
without internet. Similarly, districts can explore
missed-call campaigns, asking citizens to give a
missed call on local helplines, which could
ensure that minimal infrastructure is being
optimized for processing high-volume user
requests.
