PM Modi to be vaccinated for COVID-19 in 2nd phase of inoculation drive
Those above 50 years of age and with comorbidities will be vaccinated in the second phase. In a meeting with chief ministers earlier, PM Modi had said there was no need to panic and that everyone above 50 years of age will be vaccinated in the second phase.
FollowNew Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Ministers are likely to get vaccinated against Covid-19 in the second phase of vaccination drive, source shave claimed. The Prime Minister has reportedly asked CMs and other politicians to take the shot after the first round of vaccination is over, in a bid to establish trust among people on the vaccines.
India is currently administering vaccines to 30 million healthcare and frontline workers. The second phase of the programme will involve 270 million people over 50 and those with compromised immunity or underlying medical conditions that make them vulnerable to Covid-19. Modi, 70, is likely to be in this batch, said a second highly placed official in the vaccination drive, adding that the exact dates hadn’t been determined.
“PM will take the vaccine when his turn will come after completion of the first phase,” said an official in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). “He himself said this in his meeting with chief ministers that politicians shouldn’t try to break the queue and only take the vaccine when their turn comes,” the official added. He was referring to a January 11 meeting between Modi and chief ministers where the PM shot down suggestions of including politicians in the first phase of vaccination.
A third official, from the Union health ministry, said the PM’s turn is likely to come by March or April. When asked if the PM would opt for a particular vaccine, the official refused to respond. “It’s too early to say anything,” he said.
(More details awaited)
