PM Modi discusses COVID-19 vaccine plan with CMs
New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized that every citizen of the country will get coronavirus vaccine after it clears all the scientific tests, talking more on who will get the first dose of vaccine - frontline workers, people above the age of 50, and those with comorbidities.
CMs of Delhi, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat and West Bengal were present during the meeting.
India is following the race for vaccines closely, the PM said, according to a government statement, adding: “If speed is important then safety is equally important. What we develop will be scientifically validated.”
He also said that for vaccine distribution, the Centre is working with states, which will “ultimately be in a better position to say what is required on ground” and assured them that a detailed plan will be shared soon.
“PM made it clear that in the first stage, the vaccine will be given to the frontline health workers, in the second stage to the police personnel, sanitation workers etc; to those above 50 years of age in third stage; and to those with co-morbid conditions in the fourth stage,” Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani quoted the PM as saying, according to ANI. The statement was confirmed by Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope.
PM Modi's remark comes a day after University of Oxford and British pharma firm AstraZeneca announced their vaccine candidate had shown up to 90% efficacy in late-stage trials.
