Ministry of Home Affairs tells states to check vaccine rumors
Amid the circulation of rumors surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines' efficacy, the Centre asked the States to check the spread of such misinformation and advised them to take penal action against those found guilty of dissemination of wrong news. In a communication to Chief Secretaries of all states and UTs, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla strongly emphasized the safety of the two vaccines.
Both vaccines are safe and immunogenic, says Union Home Secretary
Bhalla said that the National Regulatory Authority in the country has found that the vaccines, Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, and COVAXIN, developed and manufactured by the Bharat Biotech Limited, were safe and immunogenic. He added that rumor-mongering can create unwarranted doubts among people at large, therefore there is a need to check all such kinds of unfounded scaremongering.
States asked to promptly disseminate factual messages
Bhalla urged the states and the UTs to put in place appropriate mechanisms to check the spread of such ill-informed rumors. He asked the chief secretaries to direct all the authorities concerned under the state government to take appropriate necessary measures to counter the spread of all such kinds of false information about COVID-19 vaccines as well as promptly disseminate factual messages.
Those guilty to be charged under Disaster Management Act
"Further, penal action may be taken against the person/s or organization/s who is/are found to have indulged in such activities, under the relevant provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and the Indian Penal Code, 1860," he said.
Health workers and frontline workers inoculated on priority
The Central Government, in close collaboration with the State Governments and UT administrations, launched the inoculation drive of the COVID-19 vaccination on January 16. The Union Home Secretary said healthcare workers and frontline workers are being inoculated as per the priority decided by the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC), and subsequently, priority groups two and three will be vaccinated.
