Reuters
From India to Indonesia, fake news, fear and conspiracy theories surrounding Covid-19 vaccinations are gathering momentum as governments embark on mass inoculation drives against the virus which has killed over 2.1 million and infected nearly 100 million worldwide.
Attaining herd immunity through mass vaccination is crucial for the recovery of the devastated global economy. Governments are also racing to vaccinate their populations before the coronavirus mutates further – as has happened in Europe and elsewhere – which could potentially render current vaccines “ineffective”, say epidemiologists.
“The anti-vaccine movement could have a negative impact on the handling of Covid-19 where the targets [number of people] for vaccination are not achieved to the point where the pandemic cannot be brought under control,” warned epidemiologist Iwan Ariawan of the University of Indonesia (UI).