To address the prevailing low levels of awareness around the Covid-19 vaccine as well as misinformation and myths that cause hesitancy, Dr Madhulika Jonathan, chief of UNICEF’s office for Assam and North East discussed areas of technical support, including a public awareness campaign, with Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Metbah Lyngdoh, today.
Lyngdoh agreed to collaborate with the UN’s Children’s Fund on a Covid Warriors public awareness campaign, and engage all MLAs in the same.
The campaign aims to raise awareness on Covid among constituents, convene meetings with influencers to support awareness efforts, and review and monitor preparedness at the constituency levels.
UNICEF’s technical support will include providing critical communication material that will be disseminated through the media, with active participation from the Speaker and MLAs across party lines.
Information on Covid-19, including types of masks to use, Covid Appropriate Behaviours (CABs), vaccines, mental health, home isolation and care, strains of the virus, helpline numbers, among others, would be reemphasized through efforts of MLAs, who will be encouraged to disseminate using digital and offline media, work with influencers within their constituencies like tribal leaders, business leaders, teachers among others, and lead community-level initiatives to spread awareness and also monitor preparedness.
In a separate discussion convened by Congress legislator Ampareen Lyngdoh with MLAs from constituencies falling under East Khasi Hills and Ri-Bhoi, UNICEF got an opportunity to present the current preparedness and response of the state, and the technical support that is being provided by UNICEF’s health team in Meghalaya.
Some of the points raised by the MLAs that needed immediate attention included systems strengthening especially in hard to access, rural districts, mapping of infrastructure required, third wave, and more communication on the roles and responsibilities of officials for public knowledge.
The active participation of MLAs in reaching out to their constituents can help curb the chain of transmission. As per research, we know that Covid-19 spreads through the aerosols of an infected person, and it can spread fast. However, new mutants can also increase the rate and severity of the infection. In both situations, it is important to prevent the spread by following CABs and taking the vaccine when their turn comes.
