Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with beneficiaries and vaccinators of the COVID-19 inoculation drive in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on Friday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with beneficiaries and vaccinators of #COVID vaccination drive in Varanasi, via video conferencing. @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/FMaNpQYJ1w
— NewsMobile (@NewsMobileIndia) January 22, 2021
The participants in the interaction shared their first-hand experience of vaccination. PM Modi said, “The biggest vaccination program in the world is going on in our country. Today, the nation has the willpower to manufacture its own vaccine – not one but two Made in India vaccines. Vaccines are reaching every corner of the country. India is absolutely self-reliant in this regard.”
The biggest vaccination program in the world is going on in our country. Today, the nation has willpower to manufacture its own vaccine – not one but two Made in India vaccines. Vaccines are reaching every corner of the country. India is absolutely self-reliant in this regard: PM pic.twitter.com/tB4Jmy2Vd7
— NewsMobile (@NewsMobileIndia) January 22, 2021
The interaction follows continuous dialogue and discussion by the Prime Minister with scientists, political leaders, officials and other stakeholders to proactively ensure smooth conduct of the world’s largest vaccination drive, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had said.
On January 16, the Prime Minister had launched India’s vaccination drive against the novel coronavirus via video conferencing. India has vaccinated nearly 10.5 lakh beneficiaries till 6th day of the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Friday.
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Billed as the world’s largest vaccination program, covering the entire length and breadth of the country, the drive aims to first inoculate millions of its healthcare and frontline workers and reach an estimated 3 crore people by the end of its first phase.
In Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Modi, the COVID-19 vaccination drive started at six centres. The first shot of the vaccine at the Sir Sunderlal Hospital of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) centre was administered to a sanitary staff Rashid Khan.
Amid the ongoing vaccination programme, some adverse events have been reported following inoculation.
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Thursday released posters prepared by the Health Ministry to address issues related to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. He urged people to make judicious use of these posters and make it a mass campaign.
The drugs regulatory body of India has currently approved two vaccines. Pune-based Serum Institute of India has developed the Covishield vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University while the Covaxin has been developed by Hyderabad’s Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Medical Council of research (ICMR) and National Institute of Virology.