Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Ministers of the states and UTs will likely get COVID-19 vaccine shots in the second round of the vaccination drive, informed sources. This comes amid various questions raised by Congress and other Opposition parties regarding the safety of the COVID vaccines and demands that ministers of ruling BJP should take it first so as to put an end to all rumours.
PM Modi, while discussing the roll-out plan with the CMs, had said that the political party members should take the jab later and first preference was given to healthcare workers.
"This is my personal suggestion and no one should take it otherwise. We public representatives are not part of it," PM Modi had said.
The rollout plan, as it stands, entails up to 3 crore healthcare and frontline workers receiving the vaccine in the first phase, whereas a further 27 crore people who are among the more vulnerable, especially the elderly and those with existing ailments, are to be inoculated in the second round. The vaccinations for PM and CMs is also likely to fall under this due to the age criteria for most of them.
In total 7.86 lakh healthcare workers have received COVID-19 vaccine jabs till the evening of the fifth day of the nationwide immunization drive, according to a provisional report of the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday. It also said that on Wednesday, 1,12,007 beneficiaries were vaccinated till 6 pm across 20 states and Union Territories, while adding the final report would be completed by late in the night.
The cumulative number of healthcare workers vaccinated against COVID-19 has touched 7,86,842 through 14,119 sessions, as per the provisional report. The total number of beneficiaries who have been vaccinated till 6 pm on Wednesday include 22,548 in Andhra Pradesh, 38 in Bihar, 262 in Kerala, 36,211 in Karnataka, 16,261 in Maharashtra, 6,731 in Madhya Pradesh, 6,834 in Tamil Nadu, and 2,296 in West Bengal, according to the provisional report.
(With Inputs From Republic TV)