Centre will sponsor vaccination of healthcare, frontline workers: PM Modi
In his first interaction with chief ministers of all states after India approved two vaccines, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the federal government will sponsor the vaccination of three crore healthcare and frontline workers. He added that both vaccines, Covishield and COVAXIN, were approved after much deliberation. To note, India's massive vaccination program will start on January 16. Here are more details.
During the crucial interaction, PM Modi stressed that the 'Made in India' vaccines are more cost-effective than others. As known by now, the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) is producing millions of doses of Covishield, the vaccine originally developed by the University of Oxford, while COVAXIN has been developed by Bharat Biotech. Both these vaccines were given approval on January 3.
PM Modi said all states were consulted before creating the priority list, adding that the government first wants to give the vaccine doses to those who are working religiously to protect citizens. "It doesn't matter if the person engaged in coronavirus duties belongs to the government or private sector, they will be administered the doses in the first phase," PM Modi went on.
"If you look at the number of healthcare and frontline workers, it stands at around three crore. It has been decided that state governments will not have to bear the expenses of vaccination of these three crore people in the first phase," he declared.
He underlined that the first phase will also cover defense personnel, police, and other paramilitary forces, but not public representatives. In the second phase, 27 crore people will be targeted. This lot includes those above 50 as well as those aged below 50 but have co-morbidities. Besides Covishield and COVAXIN, four more vaccines are in the pipeline to be rolled out, PM Modi said.
PM Modi hailed the success of dry runs, that have been conducted in recent days. While he seemed pleased with how India handled the health crisis, he called on states to work closely with the union government to make the drive successful. He said rumors related to vaccines shouldn't be encouraged. "Every effort was undertaken to ensure the safety of vaccines," he asserted.
"I am satisfied that we worked together by standing united in COVID-19 crisis, quick decisions were taken with full sensitivity. As a result, COVID-19 has not spread in India on the scale, at which it spread anywhere else in the world," he added.
Talking about the Co-WIN platform, he stated India will serve as an example for the world. He said the Co-WIN platform will ensure beneficiaries get the second dose of the vaccine on time, while also adding that certificates will be given after both the doses. "The experience India has will be very useful. We have to follow protocols during the entire process," he stated.
