PM seeks to dispel vaccine hesitancy in interaction with health workers

VARANASI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday sought to set at rest fears and misconceptions over the efficacy and safety of Covid-19 vaccines, and sought to dispel the “vaccine hesitancy” that has kept the turnouts low at inoculation centres.

In an interaction with health workers in Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency, Modi said the vaccines had been launched after completing all scientific processes of trial and testing. It was only when scientists gave the green signal that the vaccination drive, billed as the world’s biggest, started on January 16, he added.

“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,” he said through a video conference.

The interaction came a day after the government launched a mass awareness campaign to drive home its message that the made-in-India vaccines — Covishield being manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute of India, and Covaxin, developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech — were completely safe.

“Our preparation has been such that the vaccine is fast reaching every corner of the country,” Modi said. “And on the world’s biggest need today, we are completely self-reliant. Not just that, India is also helping out many countries with vaccines.”

He appealed to doctors, hospitals and vaccinators to accelerate the inoculation in Varanasi so the next phase of the vaccination drive can get underway.

Narendra Modi