PM Modi launches World's biggest COVID-19 vaccination drive

NEW DELHI:

History will remember January 16, 2021, as the day when the world’s largest COVID-19 vaccination programme was rolled out across the country.

Launching the vaccination drive, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, India's COVID-19 vaccination campaign will be of high value and follow basic humane principles and mentioned that the ones who are in utmost need of the vaccine and are at risk of contracting the virus will be prioritised.

The frontline workers who include the doctors, nurses, hospital staff, medical, paramedical staff etc, both in government and private sectors will receive the vaccine during this phase, followed by security personnel. The number of frontline workers is approximately 3 crore and the cost of the vaccine for them will be borne by the government.

He added that for vaccination, services beginning from registration to tracking has been made. After the first dose of the vaccine, the information for the second dose will be made available to the recipient via message on the phone.

He also reminded the people that it is mandatory to receive both the doses of the vaccine and as per the rules stated by the experts, between the first and second doses, a gap of about one month will be kept and the body will develop the immunity against coronavirus only two weeks after the second dose.

He urged people not to be complacent and to follow all the necessary protocols that were set earlier like wearing masks, maintaining physical distance and so on.

"My fellow Indians, you should be patient during covid vaccine drive as much as you had shown during the fight against the virus," PM Modi said.

He stressed that this type of large-scale vaccination campaign has never before been run in history and also exuded pride in how two “made in India” vaccines were produced by our scientists within such a short period of time.

In the second phase, 30 crore people will be vaccinated and this will include elderly and sick individuals.

“Self-reliance and self-confidence” are the two terms that that PM Modi stressed upon while addressing the nation during the launch.

"India has set an example for the whole world on how it dealt with the pandemic, and the same “Atma Nirbhar and Atma Vishwas (self-reliance and self-confidence)” will keep people strong during this vaccination campaign," he added.

(Edited by Aparmita Das)

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