Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla on Saturday, 16 January, took to Twitter to wish success to the vaccination drive in India and also shared a video of him taking the vaccine.
Poonawalla, whose company SII has manufactured the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in India, dubbed ‘Covishield’, posted a video on the social media platform in which he can be seen taking the vaccine himself.
He said that he was taking the shot - which is being administered to frontline workers and healthcare staff in the first phase of India’s vaccination drive - to "endorse its safety and efficacy".
He also stated that the fact that Covishield is one of the two made-in-India vaccines being administered in the vaccination drive makes him proud.
PM Modi Launches Vaccination Drive
Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched India’s vaccination programme, saying that the arrival of vaccines have finally ushered in the day Indians have been eagerly waiting for, and warned against falling for propaganda against vaccination.
“Everyone was asking as to when the vaccine will be available. It is available now. I congratulate all the people of the country on this occasion,” PM Modi said in his address, adding that India’s vaccination programme is driven by humanitarian concerns, and that those exposed to maximum risk will get priority.
He added that the government will take care of the expenses of COVID-19 vaccination for 3 crore healthcare and frontline workers in India.
PM Modi pointed out that today, scientists and people engaged in vaccine research deserve special praise. “It usually takes years to make a vaccine. But in such a short time, not one, but two vaccines have been made in India,” he said.
Almost three lakh beneficiaries, belonging to the priority groups, will be administered the vaccine at over 3,006 vaccination sites across the country on Saturday. Around 100 beneficiaries will be vaccinated at each session site.
The second dose of the COVID vaccine will be administered after an interval of fourteen days. Also, interchanging COVID-19 vaccines is not allowed.
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