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BIG STORY                                                               JANUARY 15, 2021  |       The Indian Eye                          6




                   vaccine against cOvid-19 : india first!



        >> Continued from previous page...                                                                            he added.
        dy attended the launch of the                                                                                     Urging the people to have
        COVID-19 vaccination pro-                                                                                     faith in India’s researchers, sci-
        gramme at Government Gener-                                                                                   entists, regulatory authorities,
        al  Hospital,  Vijayawada,  while                                                                             All  India  Institute  of  Medical
        Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister                                                                                 Sciences (AIIMS) Director Dr
        Shivraj Singh Chouhan attend-                                                                                 Randeep Singh Guleria on Sat-
        ed the inaugural event at Gand-                                                                               urday reassured the nation that
        hi Hospital in Bhopal.                                                                                        Bharat Biotech’s COVAXIN
            In New Delhi, AIIMS Di-                                                                                   vaccine is safe.
        rector Dr Randeep Singh Gule-                                                                                     “I want to reassure everyone
        ria and NITI Aayog member                                                                                     that the vaccine (COVAXIN) is
        VK Paul on Saturday were                                                                                      safe.  It  is  efficacious.  We  have
        administered the COVID-19                                                                                     to vaccinate a huge number of
        vaccine  shot  at  AIIMS. Man-          Frontline workers waiting for their turn for the first dose of Covishield   people prevent the spread of
        ish Kumar, a sanitation worker       vaccine during the vaccination drive at Era's Lucknow Medical College and   COVID-19 infection and there-
        was  the  first  person  to  receive                   Hospital in Lucknow on Friday (ANI)                    fore we can’t start being very
        the COVID-19 vaccine jab at                                                                                   choosy.  We  must  have  confi-
        AIIMS. Union Health Minister                                                                                  dence in our researchers, sci-
        Harsh Vardhan was also present                                                                                entists, and regulatory authori-
        there on the occasion.                                                                                        ties,” he said while answering a
            In the run up to the vaccina-                                                                             question regarding the efficien-
        tion program, there have been                                                                                 cy of Bharat Biotech’s vaccine.
        many rumors and some degree                                                                                   Dr Guleria along with NITI
        of skepticism too. But Dr Nan-                                                                                Aayog member VK Paul were
        dini Duggal, Head of Microbi-                                                                                 administered the COVID-19
        ology at Delhi’s Ram Manohar                                                                                  vaccine shot at AIIMS Delhi on
        Lohia Hospital, said vaccines                                                                                 the inaugural day of the nation-
        are always made with a lot of                                                                                 wide roll-out of vaccination on
        effort and Indian COVID-19                                                                                    Saturday.
        vaccines have been made after                                                                                     Talking about the experi-
        plenty of study and research.                                                                                 ence, he said, “I am humbled
            Dispelling the  misinfor-                                                                                 to get vaccinated in the first slot
        mation surrounding the safe-                                                                                  and feel so proud. I hope more
        ty of the COVID-19 vaccine,                                                                                   and more people come for-
        Dr Duggal told ANI, “There              Health workers watch Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually launch    ward when it comes to getting
        are certain tolerable reactions                 Covid-19 vaccine drive in Kolkata on Saturday. (ANI)          vaccinated so that we can re-
        (cough and little pain) that peo-                                                                             duce mortality and prevent the
        ple are bound to face. And they  what little you might face after  clinical trials of vaccines in oth- spread of COVID-19 infection.”
        are well informed in advance.”  the vaccines. Then the vaccine is  er countries is still going on.                Even as top doctors and sci-
        Speaking about her experience  administered.”                                “Phase 3 trial still going on.  entists  try  to  convince  people
        of getting vaccinated, she said,        After taking COVID-19 vac- Phase  3  trial  of  even  Pfizer,  about  the  efficacy  of  vaccines,
        “I felt no pain. It is unlike any  cine at AIIMS Delhi on Satur- Moderna is still going on but  there are some concerns about
        other vaccine. For half an hour  day NITI Aayog member VK  look  at  the  data,  benefits  are  the pricing.
        I was kept under observation.  Paul said that the country has  overwhelming compared to                           Punjab Chief Minister Ama-
        It took barely 10 minutes. First,  demonstrated that it can be  risk. The world has decided to  rinder Singh on Friday wrote to
        the verification was done. Then  ‘atmanirbhar’ in protecting  its  move forward, take benefit and  Prime Minister Narendra Modi
        all other procedures were ex- people by making vaccines in  ensure what’s needed in this  seeking free vaccine delivery to
        plained to us.”                      a short span. “Today we have  stage,” he said.                           the poor population of the state.
            Talking about his experience  demonstrated that we can be                He further said that safety is  Punjab will kickstart the pro-
        after getting vaccinated, Nitin  ‘atmanirbhar’ in protecting peo- proven without doubt on thou- cess of vaccination of 1.74 lakh
        Choudhary, Assistant Professor  ple of India, in a frontline tech- sands of individuals and that  health workers with 40,000 to be
        (Department of Anesthesia)  nology like creating vaccines  one should respect the scientific  covered every day over the next
        at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Insti- over a short period of time. We  processes that unfolded in ex- five days in the first phase. The
        tute of Medical Sciences, said,  have two made in India vaccines  tremely  different,  difficult  and  Chief Minister, while acknowl-
        “Once you come here, they  licensed today,  both  are  great  unusual circumstances.                          edging  the  receipt  of  2,04,500
        briefly tell you about the vacci- vaccines,” said Dr VK Paul. He             “Today two great vaccines  doses of Covishield vaccine,
        nation process. Thereafter, they  also urged people to embrace  are available. Whatever vaccine  thanked the PM Modi for mak-
        give your consent to tell you  vaccination, adding that the  you’re allotted, please take it,”                   Continued on next page... >>


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