Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday laid the foundation stone for All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Rajkot in Gujarat where he said that people should exhibit caution and strictly abide by coronavirus preventive norms even after vaccines are administered.
“I used to say ‘jab tak davai nahi dhilai nahi’ but now our mantra for 2021 should be: ‘Davai bhi, kadaai bhi” PM Modi while addressing the event virtually.
He also thanked all frontline workers for their continued service to the nation, dedicating the last day of the year to them.
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While praising the nation for fighting the coronavirus together, PM Modi asked everyone to carry forward this cooperative spirit as India starts preparing for the “world’s largest vaccination drive”. “A country such as India, with its huge population, saw nearly 1 crore of its people winning their battles against coronavirus. India has fared much better than other countries in this field and the infection rate is also going down continuously.” he added.
India got one step closer to having a Covid-19 vaccine after the UK granted emergency approval to the AstraZeneca-Oxford candidate. The Serum Institute of India (SII) which is manufacturing the Oxford vaccine here, expects a similar outcome. The Prime Minister confirmed that preparations for a vaccination drive are underway and people will soon be administered an India-made vaccine.
“Preparations are in the last stages for the vaccination programme against Covid-19. People will get vaccines manufactured in India,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“Preparations are in the last stages for the vaccination programme against Covid-19. People will get vaccines manufactured in India,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Applications by SII and Bharat Biotech for emergency use approval of their vaccines were taken up by a government appointed expert panel on Wednesday. The panel is slated to meet again on Friday for another round of discussions on the same. India has the second highest number of infections in the world after the US. The SII manufactured vaccine which can be safely stored at 2 to 8 degree Celsius offers India the best chance at a successful vaccination drive.