INDIA is all set to kick off its nationwide vaccination drive against Covid-19 on January 16.
■ Indian Health Minister Harsh Vardhan
The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) had earlier this month approved Oxford Covid-19 vaccine Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, and indigenously developed Covaxin of Bharat Biotech for restricted emergency use in the country.
Two dry runs of the vaccines have already been conducted across the country to understand the mechanisms and possible gaps in the system. The government aims to vaccinate 300 million people by July.
Prime Minister Modi will launch the pan–India rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination drive on January 16 at 10:30 AM via video conferencing, the PMO said. A total of 3,006 session sites across all states and UTs will be virtually connected during the launch and around 100 beneficiaries will be vaccinated at each session site on the first day, the statement said.
Tomorrow, 16th January, India begins the pan-India rollout of COVID-19 Vaccination drive.
The launch will take place at 10:30 AM tomorrow morning. https://t.co/zopwtXPmZO
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 15, 2021
Separately, sources said Modi is likely to interact via video link with some healthcare workers from across the country who will be receiving the shots on the first day. ■
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