A woman in India threatened health officials with a huge snake to avoid taking a COVID-19 vaccine, a video that went viral over the weekend showed.

The incident took place in Ajmer, a city in the northern state of Rajasthan. A medical team had arrived at the Nagelav village to carry out a door-to-door COVID-19 vaccination drive. However, the staff was horrified when a woman walked out of her house and threatened them with a snake. The woman has been identified as Kamla Devi, according to Times Now.

The video was circulated on social media on Friday; however, it remains unclear when the footage was recorded.

When the staff was at Devi's doorstep to inoculate her, she firmly said she was not interested in taking the vaccine. The woman, who is said to be a snake charmer, also threatened to use the reptile as a weapon against the health workers.

In the video, the woman is seen telling the health workers she would throw the reptile at them if they insisted on administering the vaccine. A voice is heard in the video trying to explain to the woman the importance of vaccines and its safety, according to Lokmat.

Locals, who heard about the ruckus, rushed to the scene, where they were asked by the medical team to help persuade the woman. After hours of persuasion, Devi finally agreed to get vaccinated. It's unknown why the woman initially refused to take the vaccine.

The country is home to several snake charmers who use the reptiles to perform acts and shows. The snake is also believed to be sacred in India and many people keep the reptiles at home.

On Sunday, India recorded its lowest daily rise in COVID-19 cases since early March with 14,146 fresh infections. The country recorded 144 deaths due to coronavirus, which took the total death count to 452,124. India is close to reaching the 1 billion mark in COVID-19 vaccine doses administered. India has administered more vaccine doses than any other country in the world apart from China.

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Representational image. Pixabay
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