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[size=36]Fear, rumors and indifference ... an American report: Huge obstacles facing the vaccination campaigns against Corona in Iraq[/size]
Reports| 01:29 - 05/05/2021
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Baghdad - Mawazine News:
The vaccination campaigns against the Corona virus in Iraq have been stalled for weeks, as a state of indifference, fear and rumors have caused many to refrain from receiving the vaccine, despite the dangerous rise in infections with the Corona virus and the government's calls for citizens to register to receive vaccinations.
She sought the public endorsement of the Shiite cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr. Pictures of him getting the vaccine last week are expected to make a clear change. Hundreds of his supporters are now heading to clinics to follow his example, underlining the strength of sectarian loyalties in Iraq and the deep distrust of the state.
"I was against the idea of vaccination," says Manhal Al-Shibli, a 30-year-old Iraqi from Najaf. "I was afraid, I had no confidence in it. But all that has changed now."
“Seeing him getting the vaccine motivated me,” al-Shibli added, in a phone interview from Najaf, where he and several Sadr loyalists got vaccinated. He likened it to soldiers who were motivated when they saw their leader on the front line.
Second wave
Iraq faces a severe second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic. The numbers of new cases rose to more than 8,000 a day last month, the highest on record. The main reason for the significant increase is the general indifference towards the virus, and the routinely violated by many restrictions imposed to limit the spread of the virus, refusal to wear masks, and the holding of public rallies.
Daily rates decreased in the past week, with 5,068 new cases reported on Monday. The Iraqi Ministry of Health has repeatedly sought to reassure Iraqis about the safety of vaccines, but this has not convinced many of those suffering from a loss of confidence in the healthcare system.
The central system in Iraq, which has remained largely unchanged since the 1970s, has declined due to decades of war, sanctions, and unrest since 2003. Successive governments have invested little in this sector.
Many Iraqis avoid going to public hospitals. Last month, a massive fire broke out in a ward for Corona virus patients in a Baghdad hospital, killing more than 80 people and injuring dozens. Iraqi Health Minister Hassan Al-Tamimi was suspended from work due to alleged negligence, and he resigned on Tuesday due to the accident.
Lack of confidence
So far, fewer than 380,000 people in the country of 40 million have received both doses of the vaccine.
As the slow vaccination efforts continued, last week, pictures of Sadr wearing a black muzzle and receiving the vaccine began to circulate on social media.
Soon after, his followers launched a vaccination campaign, called on his supporters to join them, and posted pictures of themselves carrying his posters while they were at medical centers to receive the vaccine.
The Ministry of Health took advantage of the campaign, and posted on its Facebook page a picture of Sadr receiving the vaccine, saying that his vaccination was aimed at encouraging all citizens to do the same.
Faris Al-Lami, assistant professor of community medicine at Baghdad University, said the government is widely seen as corrupt and that what has been taking place since the start of the epidemic has only deepened the public's lack of confidence in it.
Iraq received 336,000 new doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in late March, and Iraqis over the age of 18 became eligible to receive the vaccine. Last month, the first shipment of Pfizer doses arrived in the country, with 49,000 doses.
The vaccination campaigns against the Corona virus in Iraq have been stalled for weeks, as a state of indifference, fear and rumors have caused many to refrain from receiving the vaccine, despite the dangerous rise in infections with the Corona virus and the government's calls for citizens to register to receive vaccinations.
She sought the public endorsement of the Shiite cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr. Pictures of him getting the vaccine last week are expected to make a clear change. Hundreds of his supporters are now heading to clinics to follow his example, underlining the strength of sectarian loyalties in Iraq and the deep distrust of the state.
"I was against the idea of vaccination," says Manhal Al-Shibli, a 30-year-old Iraqi from Najaf. "I was afraid, I had no confidence in it. But all that has changed now."
“Seeing him getting the vaccine motivated me,” al-Shibli added, in a phone interview from Najaf, where he and several Sadr loyalists got vaccinated. He likened it to soldiers who were motivated when they saw their leader on the front line.
Second wave
Iraq faces a severe second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic. The numbers of new cases rose to more than 8,000 a day last month, the highest on record. The main reason for the significant increase is the general indifference towards the virus, and the routinely violated by many restrictions imposed to limit the spread of the virus, refusal to wear masks, and the holding of public rallies.
Daily rates decreased in the past week, with 5,068 new cases reported on Monday. The Iraqi Ministry of Health has repeatedly sought to reassure Iraqis about the safety of vaccines, but this has not convinced many of those suffering from a loss of confidence in the healthcare system.
The central system in Iraq, which has remained largely unchanged since the 1970s, has declined due to decades of war, sanctions, and unrest since 2003. Successive governments have invested little in this sector.
Many Iraqis avoid going to public hospitals. Last month, a massive fire broke out in a ward for Corona virus patients in a Baghdad hospital, killing more than 80 people and injuring dozens. Iraqi Health Minister Hassan Al-Tamimi was suspended from work due to alleged negligence, and he resigned on Tuesday due to the accident.
Lack of confidence
So far, fewer than 380,000 people in the country of 40 million have received both doses of the vaccine.
As the slow vaccination efforts continued, last week, pictures of Sadr wearing a black muzzle and receiving the vaccine began to circulate on social media.
Soon after, his followers launched a vaccination campaign, called on his supporters to join them, and posted pictures of themselves carrying his posters while they were at medical centers to receive the vaccine.
The Ministry of Health took advantage of the campaign, and posted on its Facebook page a picture of Sadr receiving the vaccine, saying that his vaccination was aimed at encouraging all citizens to do the same.
Faris Al-Lami, assistant professor of community medicine at Baghdad University, said the government is widely seen as corrupt and that what has been taking place since the start of the epidemic has only deepened the public's lack of confidence in it.
Iraq received 336,000 new doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in late March, and Iraqis over the age of 18 became eligible to receive the vaccine. Last month, the first shipment of Pfizer doses arrived in the country, with 49,000 doses.
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