This is what is called killing two birds with one stone. When world leaders like Joe Biden and Boris Johnson took the jabs of Covid-19 vaccines, questions were raised in India when will Prime Minister Narendra Modi take the vaccine shot himself? Naysayers even asked if the Prime Minister really trusted India’s own vaccines. But he is not the man in a hurry. He waited for his turn like everyone else because the first phase of the vaccination drive in India was meant for healthcare and frontline workers. When the second phase of the inoculation drive rolled out for people above 45 with co-morbidities, PM Modi went to Delhi’s AIIMS hospital early this morning to get his first jab of Covid-19 vaccine. And the vaccine was Covaxin which has been indigenously developed by Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). With his move, the prime minister has shown the way to the people who are hesitant about taking the homegrown coronavirus vaccine.
After receiving the Covaxin jab, PM Modi took to Twitter to appreciate doctors and scientists for strengthening the global fight against the pandemic and made an appeal to the people to make India Covid-19 free.
PM Modi gets first dose of Covaxin
Bharat BioTech’s Covaxin was administered to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by a nurse from AIIMS Sister P Niveda who hails from Puducherry. She was assisted by a Nurse from Kerala Sister Rosamma Anil. Sharing their experience, they said PM Modi interacted with them before the vaccination asking them about their hometowns. After receiving the vaccine shot he remarked “Laga bhi diya aur pata bhi nahin chala (It’s done? I didn’t even feel it).”
Prime Minister will be administered the second dose of Covaxin in 28 days.
In India, two vaccines, the Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin have been approved for emergency use. But controversy erupted over the hasty go-ahead to Covaxin as it was still under Phase-III trials. The government threw its weight around the vaccine clarifying that the vaccine was safe to use, however, the public hesitancy over Covaxin continued.
Today, taking the first dose of Covaxin, the Prime Minister has sent out a strong message to those who are still hesitant about Bharat Biotech’s vaccine. AIIMS director Randeep Guleria said that PM Modi has cleared the confusion among the people about the vaccine.
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