NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the first dose of a home-grown COVID-19 vaccine today (Monday), kicking off the second phase of a nationwide vaccination campaign that began in mid-January with healthcare workers.
“Remarkable how our doctors and scientists have worked in quick time to strengthen the global fight against COVID-19,” PM Modi tweeted, sharing an image of himself taking first dose of the vaccine.
Took my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at AIIMS.
Remarkable how our doctors and scientists have worked in quick time to strengthen the global fight against COVID-19.
I appeal to all those who are eligible to take the vaccine. Together, let us make India COVID-19 free! pic.twitter.com/5z5cvAoMrv
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 1, 2021
He further wrote, “I appeal to all those who are eligible to take the vaccine. Together, let us make India COVID-19 free.” In the second phase, people above 60, and those who are 45 or more and suffering from certain medical conditions, are now eligible for the vaccinations.
India has so far vaccinated more than 12 million frontline health workers. The government, last week, announced that it would let people choose their vaccination centres, effectively letting beneficiaries pick either the home-grown COVAXIN shot or the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The country’s vaccination campaign has progressed slower than expected due to a reluctance of healthcare workers to take COVAXIN, which was approved without late-stage efficacy data. Only about 11 percent of vaccinated people have opted for the vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech.
Apart from Covaxin, Pune-based Serum Institute’s Covishield, developed in patnership with Oxford University and pharma giant AstraZeneca, is being used in the vaccination drive which began on January 16.
Meanwhile, Indian officials have announced that more vaccines are likely to be approved for use in the coming months, including Russia’s Sputnik-V and Cadila Healthcare’s ZyCov-D.
