Recently it is reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gets injected with the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday morning at Delhi’s AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) hospital.
After taking his first dose of covid-19 vaccine Covaxin as the next phase of vaccination against COVID-19 started in India, he tweeted, “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!”
Basically, he wishes that every eligible person should take the vaccine to get rid of Coronavirus. And he shared his photo while taking the shot of the covid-19 vaccine, and kicked-off the extension of the country’s immunization campaign that started in mid-January with healthcare workers.
His office said that PM Modi wanted to take the shot of the Coronavirus vaccine early and was taken to AIIMS Delhi without following any special route restriction because he wanted to avoid inconvenience to the people.
India is the country where corona positive cases increased after the United States, and more than 12 million health and front-line workers get injected with the vaccine. Growth of the positive cases has spiked in recent days in states like Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu. Now, India has expanded its vaccination campaign beyond healthcare and front-line workers to the people that are at higher risk of Coronavirus. People who are eligible to take vaccine include people above 60 and 45 as well who suffer from heart disease or diabetes that can make COVID-19 infection worse.
It has been reported that the COVID-19 vaccine is given for free at government hospitals, but in private hospitals, it will be sold at over 10,000 at a fixed price of Rs. 250. The government also added that people can choose their vaccination centres, and beneficiaries choose either the homegrown Covaxin or the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The progress of vaccination is slower than expected because of unwillingness of health and front-line workers to get Covaxin that was approved without late-stage efficacy data. It needs to be noticed that only 11% of vaccinated people opt for the product introduced by Bharat Biotech and the state-run Indian Council of Medical Research.
India has decided to vaccinate 30 crore people by August during its second phase. Apart from this, people can get themselves registered for COVID-19 vaccination through www.cowin.gov.in and Arogya Setu App. Despite this, there will be walk-in vaccination to make it easy for people, but it might be possible in some places. From the 1st of March, the slots will get opened from 9 am to 3 pm, and people can book appointment till 3 pm.
