Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that all Indians will be vaccinated once the coronavirus vaccine is available and no one will be left behind adding that a national expert group has been created to manage vaccine administration and chart the path.
In an exclusive interview with The Economic Times, Modi said, "I would like to assure the nation that, as and when a vaccine becomes available, everyone will be vaccinated. No one will be left behind."
PM Modi further added, "Of course, initially we may focus on protecting the most vulnerable and the frontline workers. A National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 has been constituted to chart the way forward."
Speaking on the massive exercise of taking the coronavirus vaccine to the entire population of India, the Prime Minister said, "On logistics, more than 28,000 cold chain points will store and distribute Covid-19 vaccines to ensure they reach the last point. Dedicated teams at state, district and local levels will see to it that vaccine distribution and administration is done in a systematic and accountable manner."
However, he said that the coronavirus vaccine is still a work in progress and trials are on. PM Modi also said that experts will guide the administration on how to approach the distribution of coronavirus vaccine among citizens.
Globally, around 150 coronavirus vaccines are at different stages of clinical trials. In India, two indigenous Covid-19 vaccines are undergoing clinical trials, including Covaxin which is being developed by Bharat Biotech and another by Zydus Cadila. India is also conducting clinical trials of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.
