‘Dawaai bhi…’: PM Modi’s message to the nation as COVID-19 vaccination drive begins

India on Saturday launched the ‘world’s largest’ COVID-19 vaccination drive. After a speech by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, vaccine jabs were given to people at 3,006 sites across all states and Union Territories. On Day one, 100 beneficiaries would receive the first of the two vaccine doses.

Addressing the nation ahead of the launch, Modi reminded people that two doses of vaccine are very important and asked them to maintain wearing masks and social distancing even after receiving the jabs. “‘Dawai bhi, kadai bhi,” he said. (LIVE UPDATES)

A Delhi sanitation worker, Manish Kumar, was among the first persons to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. He was administered the jab at the Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences in the presence of Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.

Frontline workers, Healthcare personnel, defence personnel and those at high-risk are being administered the vaccine in the first phase. In the first phase, the government plans to give out the vaccine to 3 crore people. Cost of vaccination of healthcare and frontline workers will be borne by the central government.

Twenty-seven crore other Indian citizens would be administered the dose in the second phase.

The two vaccines that are being used are Covishield and Covaxin. While Covishield has been developed by Oxford and is manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, Covaxin has been indigenously developed by Bharat Biotech.