PM Modi's mother receives first dose of COVID-19 vaccine
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother, Heeraben Modi, received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine today, he tweeted this afternoon. In his tweet, PM Modi also appealed to everyone to help and motivate eligible citizens to get vaccinated against the virus, which originated in China in late 2019 and has since infected millions across the globe. Here are more details on this.
Happy to share, PM Modi wrote
"Happy to share that my mother has taken the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine today. I urge everyone to help and motivate people around you who are eligible to take the vaccine," PM Modi wrote. However, he did not give details about which vaccine his 99-year-old mother has been administered. PM Modi's mother lives in Raisan village near Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
Here is PM Modi's tweet
PM Modi had received the vaccine on March 1
To recall, PM Modi had taken his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi on March 1, the day India kicked off the crucial second phase of its coronavirus inoculation program. He was administered a jab of the indigenously-developed COVAXIN, being manufactured by the Hyderabad-based firm Bharat Biotech.
Who is currently eligible to get the jab in India?
Under the second phase of the vaccination program, Indian citizens aged above 60 years and those aged between 45 and 59 but with co-morbidities are being administered vaccine doses. In the previous phase, healthcare professionals and frontline medical workers were given priority. India has thus far given approval to two vaccines - COVAXIN, and Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield, manufactured by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India.
COVID-19 infected over 1.12 crore in India
According to the Union Health Ministry, 2,52,89,693 doses of the coronavirus vaccine had been administered across India by Thursday. Since the outbreak, the fatal virus has infected over 1.12 crore and claimed the lives of more than 1.58 lakh in the country. In recent weeks, a number of states, including Kerala and Maharashtra, have been reporting a worrying spike in daily new COVID-19 cases.
