India's Covid Vaccination Drive Starts Successfully
By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2021-01-16 14:06:37
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The world's biggest vaccination programme started today as India began to inoculate its population against Covid-19 with frontline workers like doctors, nurses and other health and sanitation workers receiving the jab at 3351 centres across the country. The first jab was given to a sanitation worker at AIIMS in New Delhi. Before that, Prime Minister Narendra Modi kick started the event by warning the people that they should not forget getting the second vaccine dose and maintain the health protocol despite getting vaccinated. In his inimitable style, Modi coined the slogan Dawai Bhi, Kadai Bhi to remind people that this is not time to lower the guard against coronavirus.
The vaccination drive went on smoothly in all states. AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria led by example as he was one of the early recipients of the vaccine. Doctors across the country took the jab and told people not to believe those who were spreading rumours against the vaccine. Some doctors took to twitter to report that they had no side effects even after three to five hours to dispel the misinformation being spread about the vaccines. Some health experts hailed the timing of the vaccination as they said that it would prevent a second wave from infecting Indians. No untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the country as the two dry runs and immaculate planning ensured that everything went off in clockwork fashion.
One feels that although the nation has rightly rewarded the frontline workers by giving them the vaccine doses first, it should also be remembered that there is another huge army of people - those who were allowed to keep their establishments running during the lockdowns and who did exemplary work in feeding the nation - the grocery shops owners and workers, milkmen, vegetable and fruit sellers, cooking gas suppliers and their compatriots and those who supplied goods to them that needs to be recognized for their efforts. These people should also be considered secondary frontline workers. The next list should be for these people as they are still coming in contact with thousands of people in doing their daily job of keeping the kitchens running.
picture: collage from pics uploaded by ANI and India Today
