Health Minister Harsh Vardhan took his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday at the Delhi Heart and Lung Institute. He appealed to all above 60 years and people between 45 years and 59 years with co-morbidities to get themselves vaccinated.
“Vaccines are sanjeevani for all of us against coronavirus. Hanumanji had crossed half of India to get sanjeevani but this sanjeevani is available in your nearest government and private hospital. We have taken this vaccine by paying ₹250 each at the hospital. People who can afford this vaccine, please get it from your nearest private hospital,” said the Minister.
Dr. Vardhan said, “I request you to follow vaccine appropriate behaviour (take the first dose of vaccine and get the second dose within 28 days)... Both these vaccines are safe, immunogenic and useful. If you face any side-effects after this vaccination, consult your doctor. Till now, around 1.5 crore people have been vaccinated. 0.0003% people have shown mild AEFI effects till now. No vaccination related death has been recorded in the country. Together, let us make India COVID-19 free!”
The Union Minister said that there had been some glitches in the Co-WIN platform due to the high number of registrations on the first day of the second phase of vaccination on Monday.
“Yesterday around 34 lakh people had registered on this platform. The number of people registering for the vaccination is increasing rapidly,” said the Minister, adding that hospitals should update the schedule for 28 days so that people don’t face any problems. “The government of India is ensuring the availability of the vaccine for the whole country so that everyone can get vaccinated,” said the Minister.
