Hyderabadis divided over need to take Covid jab

HYDERABAD: At a time when vaccine hesitancy is a major concern for the Health Department, a new survey on citizen’s response to the upcoming Covid-19 vaccine in Hyderabad has shown that the people in the city are divided on taking the Covid jab. 

As per the survey by the Hyderabad Management Assosciation (HMA), nearly 51 per cent of respondents are eager to take the jab the moment it is offered, while the rest prefer to wait it out for a few months. The survey also highlights the pricing preferences of the general population, as 39 per cent felt that it should be free.

The survey, which was conducted among 270 respondents, shows that 15 per cent of respondents felt the need to wait for a year before taking it. Over 28 per cent felt they would wait for at least three months to assess the efficacy of the vaccine, and 4.88 per cent were completely reluctant to take the jab. The findings are crucial in light of the fact that the Covid vaccine will be one of the quickest vaccines developed by mankind. 

The price of the vaccine is also a concern, with most (40.4 per cent) preferring it to be below Rs 500, and only 16.67 per cent preferring it to be less than Rs 1,000. However, nearly 82.3 per cent felt that the vaccine must be made mandatory.

Willingness to take jab

• 50.73 % people willing to take it as soon as it is available

• 28.78% within 3 months of availability 

• 15.61% within a year of availability

• 4.88% never

Cost of vaccine

• 38.89% people want it to be free of cost

• 40.4% okay with paying less than Rs 500

• 16.67% okay with paying Rs 500-Rs 1,000

• 4.04% okay with paying Rs 1,001-Rs 2,000

346 fresh Covid cases, 2 deaths in State

Telangana recorded 346 fresh Covid-19 cases on Thursday from the 38,985 tests that were conducted. The State also saw 397 individuals recover from the virus, taking the active caseload to 5,000. The current Covid tally in the State is at 2,89,135. Of the 346 new cases on Thursday, 66 were recorded from the GHMC limits, followed by Rangareddy with 41 and Medchal with 34. The State also reported two deaths on the day, taking the toll to 1,561.