New Delhi: India on Saturday began what it claimed the world's largest Covid-19 vaccination programme with Prime Minister Narendra Modi launching the drive aimed at ending the pandemic which so far has killed 1,52,093 people in the country and ravaged the economy.
Addressing the country digitally, the Prime Minister in his usual style claimed that India managed to make two 'Made-in-India' vaccines in a very short period which usually takes years.
The Drug Controller General of India earlier this month approved 'Covishield' and 'Covaxin' vaccines for emergency use.
The Oxford University and AstraZeneca have developed 'Covishield', which has been manufactured in India by Serum Institute of India in Pune while Bharat Biotech has developed 'Covaxin'.
While launching the drive, Modi also urged the people not to fall prey to "rumours", and take vaccines with total confidence. His words however failed to convince a majority leaving kore questions than answers.
Soon after the prime minister inaugurated the vaccination drive, the Congress launched its attack on the Centre saying vaccines were being allowed to be used without the mandatory trials of Phase 3.
Speaking to IANS Congress leader and MP from Anandpur Sahib Manish Tewari asked if the vaccine is so reliable then why no important government functionary has taken the shot?
He said that in the every country of the world the head of the government has taken the vaccine, in US, President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have taken the vaccine shots. In UK, Queen Elizabeth and Prime Minister Boris Johnson have taken it and other countries there respective heads of state have done the same thing."
"In India, why has no responsible functionary of the government taken the vaccine shots first if it is so safe and reliable," Tewari asked.
He said:
"As the vaccine has been rolled out, there are certain disturbing and obfuscated questions with the government using a soaring rhetoric of the vaccine nationalism. The first question about the efficacy... is that in the absence of a regulatory architecture -- requiring licencing of the drugs and vaccines for the emergency use... It is perplexing that same has been permitted by the Drug Controller.
"While Covishield has not drawn ire of eminent medical experts, the Covaxin has been questioned, and by not allowing people to choose the vaccine that to take it militates the doctrine of informed consent that lies at the heart of medical ethics," he added
Modi earlier launched the vaccination drive aimed at ending the pandemic which so far has killed 1,52,093 people in the country and ravaged the economy.
Addressing the country digitally, the Prime Minister said that India managed to make two 'Made-in-India' vaccines in a very short period which usually takes years.
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