Vaccination of 12-14 age group begins, Modi hails people-driven campaign

New Delhi, March 16

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India was much better placed to fight the Covid pandemic now with many ‘Made in India’ vaccines and asked people to keep adhering to Covid appropriate behaviour.

Hailing the commencement of Covid inoculation drive for 12 to 14-year olds at government vaccination centres and booster shots for all 60-year plus from today, the PM noted that India’s vaccine campaign was people- driven unlike in other countries where vaccine hesitancy was a challenge.

“Today is an important day in India’s efforts to vaccinate our citizens. Now onwards, youngsters in the 12-14 age group are eligible for vaccines and all those above 60 are eligible for precaution doses. I urge people in these age groups to get vaccinated. India’s vaccination drive, which is the largest in the world, is science driven. We began work to create vaccines in early 2020, to protect our citizens and strengthen our fight against the pandemic,” the PM tweeted.

He hailed Indian innovators and recalled the progress of the vaccination drive. “In late 2020, I visited three of our vaccine manufacturers and got firsthand details of their efforts to protect our citizens. In January 2021, we began our vaccination drive for doctors, healthcare and frontline workers. The aim was to ensure those at the forefront of the fight against Covid get protection at the earliest,” the PM said.

He said every Indian should be proud that vaccines are free. Noting that India has administered over 180 crore doses, which includes over 9 crore doses among 15-17-year olds and over 2 crore precaution doses, the PM said, “Over the last year, India’s vaccination drive has been people-powered. Unlike other nations where we are witnessing a lot of vaccine hesitancy, people here have not only taken their doses but also urged others to get vaccinated as soon as possible. This is heartening.”

He said, “Today, India has many ‘Made in India’ vaccines. We have granted approval to other vaccines after a due process of evaluation. We are in a much better position to fight the pandemic.”