NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asked citizens to remain vigilant against Covid but not to panic as he announced starting of vaccination for teenagers between 15 to 18 and booster doses for healthcare and frontline workers.
In an address to the nation late on Saturday night, Prime Minister Modi spoke about India’s preparedness in the war against Covid and announced that vaccination would now be provided to the 15 – 18 year age group starting from January 3. Precaution or booster doses of vaccine will start from January 10, 2022, for healthcare and frontline workers, and also for those above 60 years of age, with comorbidities on the recommendation of doctors.
The Prime Minister also announced that India will soon have the world’s first nasal vaccine against Covid, and first DNA vaccine as well. The Prime Minister said that the global experience of fighting the pandemic has taught everyone that following all guidelines is the biggest weapon in the fight against Corona. The second weapon is vaccination, he said. “Today, as the virus is mutating, our capability and confidence to deal with the challenges are also multiplying,” he added.
Amid rising concerns over the new variant Omicron, PM Modi said India has 18 Lakh isolation beds, 5 lakh oxygen supported beds, 1,40,000 ICU beds, while 90,000 beds are specially for children. He said there are over 3,000 PSA oxygen plants, over 4 lakh oxygen cylinders have been given, and states are also being helped in creating a buffer stock of medicines and being provided a sufficient number of testing kits.
Modi said after understanding the seriousness of Covid-19, India started working on mission mode quite early.
“Along with research on vaccines, we also worked on approval processes, supply chain, distribution, training, IT support system, and certification processes. It was because of the preparedness, India started giving vaccines to its citizens on January 16 this year. It is the collective effort and willpower of the citizens that India has crossed the ambitious and unprecedented goal of administering 141 Crore vaccine dose,” he said.
Over 61 per cent of adults have received both doses of vaccine so far, while around 90% of adults have received at least one dose of vaccine.
The Prime Minister also emphasized that India’s fight against Corona has, from the very beginning, has been based on scientific principles, scientific consultation, and scientific methods. He said the vaccine campaign has brought relief and normalcy to the everyday lives of the countrymen. Economic activities have been encouraging compared to many countries of the world. However, the Prime Minister cautioned that Corona has not gone, and alertness is of paramount importance.
He also cautioned against the efforts to spread rumours, confusion, and fear. He appealed to citizens to strengthen and speed up the world’s biggest vaccination campaign in the coming days. Home Minister Amit Shah welcomed the announcements and called for vigilance, precautions, and vaccination to deal with the Covid 19 pandemic.
