Many states are finding it difficult to meet the vaccination targets as health workers in several places have expressed apprehensions regarding the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
According to several media reports, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be vaccinated in the second phase of the Covid vaccination drive that started last week. Lawmakers about the age of 50 including Chief Ministers, MPs and MLAs will also receive the vaccine in this round.
The information comes shortly after India sent its consignment of Covid-19 vaccines to neighbouring Nepal. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson said a plane carrying vaccines took off for Nepal on Thursday.
However, many states are finding it difficult to meet the vaccination targets as health workers in several places have expressed apprehensions regarding the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. Two vaccine candidates, manufactured by Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech, are being used in the vaccination drive. Though many medical experts have raised doubts over the efficacy of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, owing to the lack of data from the third phase of clinical trials, the centre has still gone ahead with administering the Covaxin.
MoS Health Ashwini Chaubey said, “Our country now has two effective vaccines, which are safe. But few political groups and parties start spreading wrong information about the vaccines, which create confusion and we have noticed that in some states, health workers are not coming forward to take the vaccines. Doctors who took the vaccines are comfortable and doing routine work. Therefore, there is no need for any apprehension. Today, several countries are approaching us to get the Indian vaccines, soon we’ll have more vaccines. Our scientists and researchers are doing extensive work on developing vaccines.”
Earlier, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had said: “Today, we have completed our one-year fight against COVID. Last year, this virus shocked the word and 2021 brings us new hope with the arrival of vaccines.”
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