Street beggars are most vulnerable to COVID-19 and could be spreaders of pandemic because they are mostly among crowd interacting with a lot of people.
To minimize the risk of contracting the pandemic, it is prudent to increase COVID-19 vaccine update among this population. But date suggests that there is low vaccine update among this special group.
There are only five percent of street beggars who have taken one or two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a sample collected by Premier News.
Out of 50 street beggars (20 female and 30 male) randomly selected in the central business of Freetown and northern district of Makeni, only 5 (five percent) said they have taken the COVID-19 vaccines.
This figure falls far below the 26.2% of the targeted population that are fully vaccinated, and 17.3% of the total population that are fully vaccinated, according to data from the Ministry of Health and Sanitation.
Amadu Kamara is a street beggar who is yet take the COVID-19 vaccine. He said he has not taken the vicine because he has little or no idea what the vaccine is about. He said that street beggars were not targeted during the various engagements which were held by the relevant health authorities to increase vaccine uptake.
Kamara said that the COVID-19 figures have fall drastically and country has been recording zero cases, therefore there is no need to take the vaccine since the risk of contracting the coronavirus is extremely.
Ramatu Bangura, 30, is a street beggar who have some idea about what COVID-19 pandemic is about. “I have been listening to radio programs on COVID-19 and vaccine, but I’m afraid to take the vaccine because people are saying that if you take the vaccine, you will not give birth to children,” she said. she said they need clarity on this, but the health officials have ignored them during public engagements because they considered them as inferior people in society. “We are one of the most vulnerable groups in society and we can as well be carrier of the coronavirus because we are always among crowd and we do meet with a lot of people daily,” Bangura said.
Harold Thomas is the Risk Communications Lead at the Ministry of Health and Sanitation. He said that is a complete misconception to think that if one takes the COVID-19 she will not bear children. “The vaccine has no effect on fertility,” he said.
Thomas said that street beggars are also part of the population and part of the needy group. “We are trying to ensure no one is left behind. People with disabilities are within the risk communication pillar of Ministry of Health, and they are targeting people with disabilities,” he said.
“I have seen in some settings in Bo where a particular group of beggars where being vaccinated, and even in Waterloo in a nearby mosque where beggars were vaccinated. We are trying to make sure that we reach the unreached and all classes of people because the vaccine is not for one set of people,” Thomas said.
“They [beggars] are referred to as special group and we really need to reach out to them at their various locations. They are organized group; we are working with them as part of NaCOVERC [National COVID-19 Emergency Response Centre] mobilizing team, and they also serve as influencer of their cohort.”
Thomas said that beggars are not excluded from the vaccine uptake campaign.
Vandy Koneh is an activist who has been championing the rights of persons with disabilities for decades. He said that one key problem that resulted in low COVID-19 vaccine uptake among street beggars who are mostly person with disability is lack of engagement and education. He said that most times this class people are ignored by the relevant health authorities.
He said address this problem, there is need to hold community engagement targeting street beggars to address misconceptions about COVID-19 vaccines and highlights it benefits.
He said that there is also the need to make the vaccine accessible to beggar who are mostly persons with disabilities. He said that access means provide the vaccines at communities, pharmacies, and meeting places.
This story was put together with support from Journalists for Human Rights and the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) 2022 Journalism Fellowship
By Alusine Sesay