PM Narendra Modi to interact with Varanasi’s COVID-19 vaccine beneficiaries: Here is what to expect

File image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the nation while launching the COVID-19 vaccination drive (Image: YouTube/Narendra Modi)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with COVID-19 vaccine beneficiaries and vaccinators in his Lok Sabha constituency of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on January 22 via video conferencing.

Starting 1.15 pm, participants will share their experience of vaccination with the prime minister.

"This interaction would give first hand opportunity to hear their experiences as well as feedback. I would urge you all to watch tomorrow’s interaction," PM Modi said in a tweet.

The interaction comes at a time when some beneficiaries have shown hesitation to getting vaccinated citing one of the vaccine’s efficacy data and due to other rumours of the jabs being unsafe. The data was also questioned by some experts. The Centre and state governments are scrambling to increase awareness about the vaccines.

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PM Modi, while launching the “world’s largest” vaccination drive on January 16, asked people to be aware of propaganda and rumours about the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines that have been approved for public use in India.

“Our Indian scientists and experts have guaranteed the safety of the vaccine, so the people of the country must not listen to any kind of propaganda and rumours surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine,” PM Modi said.

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The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved two vaccines – Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin – for restricted emergency use. Beneficiaries will not be able to choose between the two jabs. Covaxin is still in the phase-3 clinical trial.

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Priority is being given to healthcare and frontline workers, who had already been registered on the purpose-built CoWIN application. This would be sequentially followed by people with comorbidities, senior citizens and finally, the general public. The Centre is hoping to vaccinate 30 crore people by July, in a bid to stop the novel coronavirus pandemic.

As of January 22, India had reported more than 1.06 crore confirmed COVID-19 cases. The death toll from the outbreak in the country stood at over 1.53 lakh. While more than 1.02 crore patients had recovered, 1.88 lakh cases remained ‘active’. Globally, more than 9.73 crore individuals have been infected by the virus and over 20.90 lakh people have died so far.

A speedy rollout of vaccines is being seen as the best way to curb the spread of COVID-19 and restore normalcy in the pandemic-battered global economy. Several countries have already vaccinated a significant number of people from high-risk groups.

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