Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has made an announcement on Saturday that free vaccine of covid 19 shall be provided across the nation. The first phase of COVID-19 vaccination include one crore healthcare workers and two crore frontline workers.
Earlier in the day, health minister, who visited the GTB Hospital in Delhi to review a dry run for the COVID-19 vaccination, said that the “safety of vaccine is the prime concern”.
“I want to assure all Indians that the vaccine is aimed at safeguarding your health,” he said, adding that “positive news” can be expected soon.
“All misconceptions and disbelief is detrimental to ensuring that we have sustained and suitable coverage. The dry run will cover urban/rural/hard to reach terrains and private setting. Besides giving the vaccine the dry run will cover all other aspects. This will help us weed out any gaps,” he said.
His remarks come a day after India moved a step closer to getting a vaccine for the disease, which has affected over 1 crore people in the country; killed over 1.49 lakh. A government-appointed expert panel on Friday sent its recommendations for the Oxford vaccine manufactured by Pune’s Serum Institute of India – Covishield – to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).
“The DCGI will soon take a decision on the recommendation,” the Health Minister told the reporters this morning as he reviewed the vaccine dry run at a Delhi hospital. He also assured about the safety of the vaccine. “There should be no rumours about the vaccine’s safety…Everything has been checked in detail. Initially when the polio vaccine was rolled out, even then rumours had floated. But once it went on the floor, all people were assured about the safety,” he said.