No politics, followed scientific advice on Covid-19 vaccine, says PM Modi

In an interaction with beneficiaries from his constituency, PM assures both vaccines safe

Dispelling fears around the safety of India’s two Covid-19 vaccines, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and Serum Institute of India’s Covishield, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that politics was kept out of the vaccine exercise, which was driven entirely by scientific principles. 

Interacting with vaccinators and beneficiaries from his constituency, Varanasi, through video conference, Modi said: “There was a lot of pressure on me to bring the vaccine soon... I always said that we will do what the scientists will say... This is not the work of politicians.” 

He said that as soon as the vaccine was ready, it was decided that health workers would be given priority. “Some people were angry with me as to when will they be getting the vaccine, but my decision is that health workers should get vaccinated as soon as possible and take this drive forward.”

Modi added that the vaccines had gone through various stages of trials to prove that there is no major side effect and that they are safe. 

He also suggested that there should be competition among hospitals on vaccinating frontline workers, so that the next phase can start soon.

He asked the gathering of doctors and medical workers to share their experiences of vaccination. “When doctors and health workers give a clean chit to the vaccine, it sends a very strong message among people about the efficacy of the shots.” 

In the interaction that lasted around 30 minutes, many health workers expressed gratitude for getting the vaccine. “I am telling everyone that there is no side effect. It's like any other injection and I appeal to everyone to go for it,” Pushpa Devi, a matron at a district women’s hospital, said.

With less than expected numbers showing up for the jab, the government has been trying to tackle vaccine hesitancy through a campaign. The PM said that India is completely self-reliant and is also helping many other countries.

In Varanasi, 20,000 health professionals will be vaccinated through 15 centres. Overall, India has vaccinated more than a million health workers in the first week of vaccination, with no serious adverse event related to the shot reported so far.