We are in the endgame of Covid-19 pandemic in India, says Harsh Vardhan
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said over 2 crore Covid-19 vaccine shots have been administered so far and the vaccination rate has been increased to 15 lakhs per day
PremiumNEW DELHI : Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said the country is in the end game of the COVID-19 pandemic and to succeed at this stage politics should be kept out of the Covid-19 vaccination drive.
The Health Minister urged the people to trust the science behind the covid-19 vaccines, and asked the citizens of the country to ensure that their near and dear ones to get vaccinated on time.
He said," We need to follow 3 steps: Keep politics out of the COVID-19 vaccination drive, Trust the science behind COVID-19 Vaccines, and ensure our near & dear ones get vaccinated on time."
Speaking at the Delhi Medical Association's (DMA's) 62nd Annual Delhi State Medical Conference (MEDICON 2021) in collaboration with Dharamshila Narayana Hospital on Sunday, Vardhan said "We are 14 months into what is the biggest health crisis in our lifetime and almost 2 months into the world's largest COVID-19 vaccination drive. As of today, we have administered over 2 crore COVID-19 vaccine shots and have increased our vaccination rate to 15 lakhs per day.
The health minister said unlike most other countries, we have a steady supply of COVID-19 vaccines that are safe with proven immunogenicity and efficacy. Based on the initial results, and these "Made in India" vaccines have shown some of the lowest adverse events following immunization (AEFI) anywhere in the world, the minister added.
The minister said today children in the entire world need to be vaccinated against Poliomyelitis only because Pakistan and Afghanistan failed to eradicate this disease from their respective countries, although Polio stands eradicated from the rest of the world.
Criticising vaccine nationalism, the Indian health minister said India cannot be safe from COVID-19 if rest of the world continues to be unsafe, which is why it is essential to curb COVID-19 “vaccine nationalism".
"If the poor and underdeveloped countries continue to harbour the Novel Coronavirus, we shall not be able to ensure safety for all. A fair and equitable distribution of the vaccine is the biggest need of the hour," the minister added.
The Union minister said, under the leadership of PM Modi, the country has emerged as the world's pharmacy, and has supplied 5.51 crore COVID-19 vaccines to 62 different countries.
At a time of global crisis, under the leadership of PM Modi, India has emerged as an example to the world in international cooperation. We are fortunate to have a global leader like Shri Narendra Modi Ji who truly is an embodiment of the mantra ‘VasudhaivaKutumbakam’."
"It was Modi ji's insistence that COVID-19 vaccines should be provided with no strings attached, and the countries without the vaccine supply should not be taken advantage of at the time of a global humanitarian crisis," the minister added.
Vardhan said the government has already involved private players in COVID-19 vaccination, and if hospitals want, they can conduct vaccination 24x7.
"My request to everyone is that just like people embraced 'Jan Andolan for COVID-19 appropriate behaviour', they should embrace Jan Andolan for COVID-19 vaccination and get all COVID-19 vaccine shots whenever they are eligible," he said.
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