‘Vaccine didi’: How a trans woman fought fear, rumors to ensure her community got Covid-19 shots | Meta Stories of Strength 2022 News,The Indian Express
There was a high rate of vaccine hesitancy in the community, over fears of the vaccine reacting badly with sex change hormones, and of humiliation at the vaccination centres.
There was a high rate of vaccine hesitancy in the community, over fears of the vaccine reacting badly with sex change hormones, and of humiliation at the vaccination centres.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the transgender community found itself at a triple disadvantage. Their main sources of livelihood, such as singing at functions, sex work, and begging, were disrupted. Living in groups, they were at increased risk of infection. On top of this, there was a high rate of vaccine hesitancy in the community, over fears of the vaccine reacting badly with sex change hormones, and of humiliation at the vaccination centres.
In Chhattisgarh’s Durg, Kanchan Sendre, a trans woman, has taken it upon herself to dispel fears about the Covid-19 vaccine in her community. Thanks to Sendre’s efforts, in the last seven months, 65 transgendered people in Durg district have taken the shot, earning her the epithet of ‘Vaccine Didi’.
“I too had hesitations about the COVID-19 vaccine, specially as I had recently undergone a sex reassignment surgery, and after the first shot, I had fallen sick. But once I understood the importance of taking the shot, I wanted everyone in my community to get it,” Sendre says.
Sendre was convinced about the safety of the vaccine through the multiple engagements that she had with the MOMENTUM Routine Immunization Transformation and Equity Project team, a USAID-funded initiative that helps the Central and state governments accelerate COVID-19 vaccine coverage. The Momentum Project was awarded by USAID to John Snow India Research & Training Institute Inc in 2021.
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