WB, Delhi Govts demand free vaccine for people
PK Chakravarty
As a total 1,65,714 people were vaccinated across India after the massive vaccination drive was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, January 16,Union Ministry for Health & Family Welfare claimed ‘’No case of post-vaccination hospitalisation has been reported so far’’ as side-effects. Covaxin vaccines were used in 11 states. The #COVID19vaccines will prove to be a ‘Sanjeevani’ to end this pandemic .Kudos to our scientists & researchers for providing us with these 2 vaccines in record time, bringing us closer to achieving triumph over COVID19’’, Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said. The vaccines have been approved for emergency use only after their safety & immunogenicity has been verified, Dr Harsh Vardhan heading a WHO panel added. Hyderabad based Bharat Biotech which has received a government purchase order for supply of 55 lakh doses of Covaxin says it will pay compensation to recipients in case of any serious adverse effects experienced after receiving the antidote. Congress leader and former Union Minister Mansis Tewari has said people should have been given option to choose vaccine questioning the efficacy of Covaxin which was still in trial 3 stage.
The Congress party raised doubts over the efficacy of the vaccines asking as to why not a single government functionary stepped forward to get themselves inoculated. “If the vaccine is so safe and reliable and efficacy of the vaccine is beyond question then how is it that not a single functionary of the government has stepped forward to get themselves vaccinated as it has happened in other countries around the world?” asked Manish Tewari, Lok Sabha Member from Punjab amid report that some Resident Doctors at New Delhi’s RML Hospital refused to use Covaxin. “Many imminent doctors have raised questions with regard to the efficacy and safety of COVAXIN with government saying that people will not be able to choose as to which vaccine they would like to take. This goes against the entire doctrine of informed consent,” he added. ‘Meanwhile, strongly defending Covaxin, eminent author Ananda Ranganathan said ’The safety data & immunogenicity data for Covaxin are in the public domain’ .Government is buying Oxford-AstraZeneca using billions of taxpayers’ money. ‘’We have a right to ask why is it making foreign vaccine maker rich instead of an indigenous one’’, he told Times Now.’ After taking COVID-19 vaccine Prathap C Reddy, Chairman of Apollo Hospitals said ‘’ By the time I take 2nd shot, my immunity will increase. I hope everyone in India will also have the hope & confidence that “my turn will come, & I’ll not hesitate in taking vaccine”. With inputs from ANI
