Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (January 16) launched India's coronavirus vaccination drive via video conference. Addressing the nation on this big occasion, the prime minister said, "Everyone was waiting for this day with bated breath. Everyone kept asking when will the vaccine come. It’s here and in a short span of time. In some minutes from now, the world’s biggest vaccination drive is to begin."
Hailing the role of scientists and doctors in developing the coronavirus vaccine, PM Modi said, "All scientists and those in the medicine fraternity deserve congratulations who kept working tirelessly to make the vaccine. They didn’t see day or night, or festivals. Usually, medicines take years, here in a few months, two Made in India vaccines have been made."
The prime minister asserted that it is important to take two doses of coronavirus vaccine to build immunity against the deadly virus. "Don’t make the mistake of taking one dose and then forgetting about dose two. Listen to the experts about the gap to be kept. Two weeks after the second dose, will you build immunity against coronavirus. I appeal to you not to forget coronavirus appropriate behaviour after getting the dose. The patience with which you fought coronavirus, show the same patience during vaccination now," he noted.
PM Modi said that vaccines take years but the efforts of our scientists ensured that two Made in India vaccines are developed within a year. "Such a big vaccination drive hasn’t been conducted in history. Look at the figures in the first phase. 3 crore" We have to take it to 30 crore in the second phase," PM Modi remarked.
The prime minister reiterated that the Indian scientists and experts are satisfied with the quality of vaccines and people should not pay any heed to rumours. "When our scientists and experts were satisfied with the safety of Made in India vaccines, they gave their approval. Citizens should stay away from propaganda, misinformation and rumours," PM Modi said.
"India’s vaccines enjoy much credibility world over. We’ve earned this via our track record. Most children in the world get their vaccine shots of those made in India. The world’s trust is on our Made in India vaccines will rise soon. These Indian vaccines are cheaper than foreign shots and easy to use. Some foreign doses are close to 5000/dose and to be stored in -70 degrees," he added.
The prime minister said that the world had no clue about coronavirus. He remarked that healthcare workers, who were fighting to curb the spread of the deadly virus, did not come home for weeks. The COVID-19 virus kept people away from their families, he noted.
"This disease kept people away from their families. The mothers cried for their children and had to stay away. People could not meet their elderly admitted at hospitals. We could not bid adieu to those with proper rituals who died due to coronavirus," he said.
PM Modi got emotional during his speech as he remembers those who died to coronavirus.
"India has lead the way in fighting the coronavirus. Be it hydroxychloroquine, or paracetamol, India has delivered amid the coronavirus pandemic. Never before in history has such a big vaccination drive been launched. If you get vaccinated, it does not mean that you will stop taking precautions and following Covid protocols," said PM Modi.
