New Delhi: The world’s largest vaccination campaign has begun in India amid the Corona pandemic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched it via video conferencing. During this time, he advised people to avoid rumours about the vaccine. He further said that the start of vaccination does not mean people should stop following the Covid protocols of wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. The Prime Minister became emotional while remembering the difficult period of the pandemic.
Three crore health workers will be given vaccine in the first phase. Earlier this month, emergency use of two vaccines was approved. These include Covishield of Serum Institute and Covaxin of Bharat Biotech. Covishield, the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, and made by the Serum Institute of India. At the same time, covaxine is completely indigenous.
While addressing the nation, PM Modi said, “Everyone was asking as to when the vaccine will be available. It is available now. I congratulate all the countrymen on this occasion.”
“National Poet Dinkar had said that the stone becomes water when a human exerts force,” PM Modi added.
He further said, “Our vaccines are made in tried and tested methods.These vaccines will give defining victory in the war against covid.”
“Only when our scientists are assured of the power of vaccine, they gave permission for emergency use. People must stay away from rumours. We have credibility. We have earned this credibility from our track record. Indian vaccines are cheaper than foreign vaccines. There are some vaccines with each dose costing ₹5,000 and also require a minus 70 degree Celsius temperature for storage,” said PM Modi.
“Our vaccination programme is driven by humanitarian concerns, those exposed to maximum risk will get priority,” he said.
The prime minister cautioned the people to be careful about not missing taking two doses of the vaccine. “There will be a gap of around one month between the doses. People should keep their guard up even after taking the vaccine as only two weeks after taking the second dose will the human body develop necessary immunity against the coronavirus,” he said.
Terming it as the “world’s largest vaccination programme” covering the entire length and breadth of the country, the government said that a total of 3,006 session sites across all states and Union territories were virtually connected during the launch.
The prime minister said that there are only three countries—India, the US and China—that have a population of more than 30 crore people. “In the first round itself, 3 crore people, which is more than the population of at least 100 countries of the world, are being vaccinated. This needs to be taken up to 30 crore in the second round when the elderly and people with serious co-morbidities will be vaccinated,” Modi said.
Normally, it takes years to make a vaccine but in such a short span of time, not one, but two ‘Made in India’ vaccines are ready, Modi said, adding work on other vaccines is also progressing at a fast pace. India getting two vaccines in such a short time is a testimony to the talent and skills of the nation’s scientists’, the prime minister said.
The country had issued its first advisory on January 17 and India was among first few nations that started screening at airports, Modi said emphasising the speed at which India acted to deal with the pandemic.
Modi also talked about the evacuation of Indians stuck abroad, saying that at a time when many countries of the world had left their citizens stranded in China, India evacuated not only Indians but citizens of other countries.
The Prime Minister congratulated the countrymen for passing the challenge of discipline and patience during the ‘Janata Curfew’ in March.
He pointed out that the exercise prepared the country psychologically for the lockdown.
Asserting that India’s response to the crisis has been acknowledged globally, Modi said it was an example of the integrated and unified response from centre, states, local governments, government offices, social bodies who performed efficiently in unison.
During his speech, Modi turned emotional as he spoke of the disruption the pandemic caused to people’s lives, isolating victims of the coronavirus and denying the dead traditional last rites.
In a choked voice, the prime minister also referred to sacrifices made by healthcare and frontline workers, hundreds of whom lost their lives to the viral infection.
A total of 3,006 vaccination centres across all states and union territories will be virtually connected and with 100 beneficiaries getting the shots at each site on the first day.
The CoWIN (Covid Vaccine Intelligence Work) application will monitor the entire vaccination process. According to the Ministry of Health, in the first phase of the vaccination campaign, people over the age of 50 will be vaccinated. In addition, people below the age of 50 years who are suffering from serious illness will be vaccinated.
Before starting the vaccination campaign, a dry run was organized all over the country to take stock of its preparations. The government has set up a 24×7 call center for information related to the corona pandemic and vaccination. You can get any information by calling 1075.