Current affairs

'Don't forget this': PM Modi appeals to people as he launches India's COVID-19 vaccination drive!

By alagu, 16 January, 2021
Narendra Modi, India, COVID-19

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has on Saturday launched what has become the largest COVID-19 vaccination drive in the world. India has finally unveiled the vaccination drive to combat the global pandemic through the two indigenous vaccines - Covishield and Covaxin and the country has targeted to vaccinate three crore frontline workers in the initial phase. 

The Prime Minister had inaugurated the drive at the event in Delhi while the event was virtually attended by various stakeholders. Modi addressed the nation during which he praised the efforts put by the health care workers to develop the vaccines and claimed that India has received the vaccines at a right time. He said, "Everyone was waiting for this day with bated breath. Everyone has kept asking when the vaccine will be developed. It's finally here in a short span of time".

The Prime Minister stated that the two 'Made in India' vaccines are here. He said, "Such a big vaccination drive hasn't been conducted in history. Look at the figures in the first phase. Three crores. America, China, and India are the only three nations worldwide with a population of more than 300 crores. We have to take it to 30 crores in the second phase. Hence the vaccination drive in India is so huge. This shows our strength and capability". 

Asserting that both the vaccines are safe and credible, the Prime minister said, "India's vaccines enjoy much credibility across the world and we have earned this through our track record. Most children in the world get their vaccine shots of those made in India. The world's trust is on our Made in India vaccines will rise soon. These Indian vaccines are cheaper than foreign shots and easy to use. Some foreign doses are close to Rs 5000 per dose.  

Narendra Modi went emotional when he spoke about the hardships faced by the healthcare and frontline workers during the pandemic.  By citing that it's important to take two doses of vaccines, the Prime Minister appealed to the people not to forget to get the second dose and listen to the experts about the gap to be kept. He said that the beneficiaries will develop immunity against the Coronavirus two weeks after the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. 

He further appealed to the people not to forget coronavirus appropriate behavior after getting the dose and said that the patience with which you fought coronavirus, show the same patience during vaccination now. He added that India's vaccines reflect the country's advancements in the field of science and medicine and the Prime Minister said that those who are at the highest risk of getting infected will be vaccinated first. 

The Prime Minister said that the details about vaccination appointments will be disseminated through the COWIN app. Narendra Modi urged the people not to spread rumors about the vaccines' safety and efficiency as they have been approved only after necessary scrutiny. He instructed everyone not to lose their grip in the measures to tackle the spread and the beneficiaries should wear masks and observe social distancing even after the vaccination. 

According to reports, a total of 3,006 session sites across the nation had virtually joined the launch, and around a hundred beneficiaries will be vaccinated at each session site. On Friday, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan reviewed the preparations and visited the dedicated COVID control room set up at the Nirman Bhawan premises of the health ministry. In a statement, the health ministry said that the vaccination drive has been planned in a phased manner, identifying priority groups, and healthcare workers both in the government and private sectors will be receiving the vaccine during the first phase. 

While speaking about the vaccination drive, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday said that it is the last phase of our battle against coronavirus and stated the drive as the beginning of the end of COVID-19. On day one, three lakh health care workers will be administered the vaccine and according to reports, the beneficiaries will be given the second vaccine 28 days after the first vaccination and they will develop immunity against the COVID-19 viral infection after the second vaccination.  

After the launch of the largest vaccination drive, Prime Minister Modi took to Twitter and said, "India begins the world’s Largest Vaccine Drive. This is a day of pride, a celebration of the prowess of our scientists and hard work of our medical fraternity, nursing staff, police personnel, and sanitation workers. May everyone be healthy and free from illness."

 

You may also like

Comments