Maharashtra Government Asks Megastar Salman Khan To Spread Word For Covid-19 Vaccine

Actor Salman Khan, at the insistence of the Maharashtra government, has released a video to tackle vaccine hesitancy among the Muslim community.

The Maharashtra government has roped in actor Salman Khan in a bid to encourage members of the Muslim community to get vaccinated against Covid-19. In a video he released on Wednesday, the actor can be heard appealing to people not to hesitate when it comes to the jab. “Get vaccinated and save yourself and your family from the Covid pandemic,” Salman Khan said in the video.

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope had hinted at the decision to rope in Salman Khan while mentioning that many people in Muslim-dominated areas are hesitant towards the lifesaving jab. There is still some [vaccine] hesitancy in Muslim-dominated areas. We have decided to use Salman Khan and religious leaders to convince the Muslim community to take the vaccine.

Echoing the sentiment, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar had said on Tuesday, “Whenever the vaccination happened, there were religious apprehensions among Muslims, which delayed it slightly. [We are] hoping that they [Muslims] will take jabs and actors like Salman Khan should encourage them.”

However, Tope told reporters on Wednesday, “We are trying to speed up vaccination. Salman Khan is not a star of one particular religion. He is famous across religions. This should not be seen as only the Muslim community. There is no politics in this. Wherever we find vaccine hesitancy, we find religious leaders and celebrities to create awareness.”

Rajesh Tope said that over 10.25 crore vaccine doses have been administered in Maharashtra so far, and by the end of November all eligible persons will have received at least the first dose.

About the possibility of a third wave of the viral infection, Rajesh Tope said that, as per experts, the pandemic has a seven-month cycle, but due to large-scale vaccination, the next wave would not be severe. People should follow the Covid-19 safety protocol and get vaccinated, he added.

Last week, Mumbai achieved 100 per cent target of the first dose of Covid-19 vaccination to its citizens. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said that based on the census data and the number of eligible citizens, the government had set a target for all local bodies to be vaccinated in their respective areas.

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Meanwhile, BMC commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal and Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) Suresh Kanani appealed to the eligible citizens to complete their second dose of the vaccine as well.