New Delhi:
The nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive will be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 10:30 am today, setting off India on the path towards overcoming the pandemic that has upended lives, ravaged the economy and unleashed unprecedented suffering more than the final 12 months. One of the world’s largest vaccination programmes aimed at inoculating 3 crore well being and other frontline workers initially, it will use shots manufactured in India – one particular created by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, the other by Bharat Biotech with the country’s top rated clinical study body.
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Over 3 lakh healthcare workers are set to be inoculated on the initially day of the lengthy-awaited vaccination drive which Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan marks “probably the beginning of the end” of COVID-19.
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Some 3,000 internet sites across all states and union territories will open their doors for the launch by means of video-conference by PM Modi this morning and about one hundred folks will be vaccinated at every single session web-site.
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Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Medical College Principal Sudhir Bhandari will be the initially particular person in Rajasthan to be offered the shot, whilst in Madhya Pradesh, a hospital safety guard and an attendant will be amongst the initially to get the jab, officials of these states mentioned on Friday.
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“Tomorrow, January 16, India begins the pan-India rollout of COVID-19 Vaccination drive. The launch will take place at 10:30 AM tomorrow morning,” PM Modi tweeted on Friday. He had mentioned the nation would enter a “decisive phase” in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic with vaccination drive.
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Minister Harsh Vardhan reviewed the preparations on Friday and reiterated that each the vaccines – Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covishield produced by Serum Institute of India and Covaxin of Bharat Biotech, have established security and immunogenicity records.
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The vaccination drive has been planned in a phased manner, identifying priority groups and informing candidates by means of phones. Healthcare workers, each in government and private sectors will obtain the vaccine for the duration of this phase, the well being ministry mentioned in a statement.
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According to the government, the shots will be supplied initially to an estimated one particular crore healthcare workers, and about two crore frontline workers, and then to persons above 50 years of age, followed by persons younger than 50 years of age with linked comorbidities.
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About 1.5 lakh employees in 700 districts have been specially educated, and quite a few national dry runs involving mock transportation of vaccines and dummy injections have been held to tackle the colossal and complicated job compounded by security worries, shaky infrastructure, and public scepticism.
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The government has worked challenging to counter issues raised by well being authorities and the opposition about Covaxin which has not completed Phase 3 trials below which the efficacy of the drug is tested.
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The coronavirus pandemic, which reached India final January immediately after emerging in China’s Wuhan in late 2019, has killed more than 1.5 lakh folks in the nation so far and infected more than 1.05 crore. A hasty lockdown final March that lasted for months battered the economy and exacted a heavy toll on the poor and disadvantaged.
(With inputs from agencies)