E-Paper
PM Modi gets first shot as second leg of inoculation drive begins
The Prime Minister, who was administered the dose at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), appealed to all those eligible in the latest phase of the vaccination to get inoculated.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday received the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin, which has been indigenously developed by Bharat Biotech, as India’s immunisation drive against the infectious disease entered the second phase to cover about 270 million people.
The Prime Minister, who was administered the dose at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), appealed to all those eligible in the latest phase of the vaccination to get inoculated. Modi reached the premier hospital on Monday morning and was administered Covaxin by nurse P Niveda, who hails from Puducherry. Another nurse, Rosamma Anil from Kerala, also assisted in the process.
“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 were eligible to take a vaccine. Together, let us make India COVID-19 free!,” the PM tweeted.
On Monday, the government opened up Covid-19 vaccination to those over the age of 60 and people aged 45 years or more with specified comorbidities.
The PM opting for the indigenously developed vaccine was perceived as a move to support the Make in India campaign and to counter speculation about the efficacy and safety of the vaccine. Other than Covaxin, India has approved Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covishield for emergency use.
“The PM took Made-in-India Bharat Biotech’s COVAXIN and showed that both vaccines are safe and efficacious. We must come forward and take whichever vaccine is available. There’s been controversy comparing one vaccine to other that has been laid to rest,” AIIMS director Randeep Guleria told ANI.
Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech tweeted it was “inspired and humbled” by PM Modi’s “remarkable commitment to build an Aatmanirbhar Bharat”.
According to people aware of the developments, PM Modi opted for an early-morning slot at the busy hospital and to avoid inconvenience to the general public, no traffic restrictions were imposed. With a traditional Assamese stole draped over his shoulders, the PM chatted with the nurses while the vaccine was being administered. “Realising that the AIIMS staff could be nervous around him, he struck a conversation with them before he was given the shot and joked whether they were going to use a needle meant for veterinary purposes. When two nurses did not understand the question, he explained that politicians are known to be ‘very thick-skinned’,” a person aware of the developments said.
The Congress’s Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said: “In PM’s inoculation visuals, there was ‘gamcha’ (Assam), and nurses who vaccinated him were from Kerala and Puducherry. Coincidentally, there are elections in these states. It would’ve been five states had he also carried Rishi Aurobindo’s photo and Geetanjali.”
AIMIM leader and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi said the government should clarify if Covishield was not good for those above 65 years of age. “Everybody in the country will have to take Coronavirus vaccine be it Covishield or Covaxin. I have one question, the German government said that Covishield, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which is being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India... the data published on the website of AstraZeneca says that it is good for people between 18 and 64 years. It is not effective on those above 64. PM Modi received a Covaxin shot. I want to request the government to clear the confusion,” he said.
PM Modi taking Covaxin should remove all doubts people have about its side effects, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said, underlining no death has occurred till now due to Covid-19 vaccination in the country. Vardhan said that if any death occurs a few days after receiving the jab, it cannot be linked to vaccination. Each such death is being scientifically probed, he said.
As the vaccination drive got underway, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and several Union ministers including home minister Amit Shah, external affairs minister S Jaishankar, minister of state in the PMO Jitendra Singh and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar also received the vaccine. Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar was also administered the shot.
Several ministers who are eligible for the shot are in the process of finalising the schedule for their vaccinations. “BJP MPs, senior leaders and ministers who are eligible for the vaccine will be taking the shots at private hospitals where they will be charged for it. No one including the PM jumped the queue or got preferential treatment,” a person familiar with the matter said.
