Together Everyone Achieves More
COVID Vaccination Drive
One year into the pandemic, it seemed as though India had escaped the worst impacts of the coronavirus. However, during April and May 2021, a devastating second wave swept through the country, and at its peak, over 400,000 new cases were being recorded daily, along with 4,000 deaths per day. The state of Maharashtra was one of the worst affected, accounting for over a fifth of all cases nationwide. In addition to the rising caseload in multiple hotspots across the state, local authorities also had to contend with a shortage of vaccines as well as skepticism and hesitancy from vast swathes of uneducated locals who were exposed to misinformation circulating on social media.
Across the world, vaccinating people was the cheapest and most effective way of curbing the increase in new cases. T.E.A.M. decided to tackle the problem on two fronts - improving access to vaccines and educating people about the benefits of being vaccinated. T.E.A.M. members put together a detailed video explaining how the vaccine works as well as how it benefited both the individuals themselves and society as a whole, in addition to debunking popular myths and misconceptions that people falsely believed. The video was circulated widely over social media, including Facebook and Whatsapp, and translated into 10 local languages to improve accessibility.
However, convincing people to take the vaccine was only half the battle won - in a country of 1.4 billion people, finding a vaccine to take was an even harder challenge. T.E.A.M. collaborated with Infiniti Mall to conduct a free vaccination drive and in 30 days was able to facilitate the delivery of over 2000 doses free of cost. In order to conduct this safely, T.E.A.M. members came up with a drive-through concept in which people could receive the jab without having to leave the safety of their vehicles. This proved particularly popular with elderly and immunocompromised people, as they were afraid to risk getting the virus at a crowded distribution centre - the process made it as easy and safe as picking up a Mcdonald's order without ever having to leave your car.
T.E.A.M. members also took up the responsibility of arranging vaccinations for their own micro communities - individuals whom they interacted with daily and who supported their lives on a regular basis. These included doormen, fruit and vegetable vendors, milkmen, house help, and so on, all of whom were economically disadvantaged and would not otherwise have had access to a vaccine. Each T.E.A.M. member formed a list of 15-50 individuals from within their micro-community and arranged to have them vaccinated. In a single day, 350 doses were administered to these groups at the Sheila Raheja Auditorium in Bandra. Overall, T.E.A.M raised over 23,50,000 rupees to fund this drive.
Education Video
