PM Narendra Modi took his first shot of COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, 1 March, at AIIMS Delhi.
While some lauded the Prime Minister for taking a step forward to dispel vaccine hesitation, many others on social media spotted the markers from poll-bound states in his photograph – Assamese Gamosa, nurses from Puducherry, and Kerala and ‘Tagore-like’ beard.
PM Modi was administered Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. "Took my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at AIIMS," he informed on Twitter.
At the time of the vaccination, Modi wore a "gamosa" (scarf) from Assam, which he has been seen wearing on many occasions. The vaccine dose was administered by a nurse from Puducherry P. Niveda, who was assisted by another nurse from Kerala Rosamma Anil.
The Prime Minister, who got the jab at 6:25 am, remained under observation for half an hour in the hospital and left around 7 am.
This comes when the second phase of vaccinations against the novel coronavirus began in India from Monday, with people above 60 years of age and those above 45 with co-morbidities eligible to get the jabs.
In the first phase of vaccination, only healthcare and frontline workers were eligible to get vaccinated. Over 1.4 crore vaccine shots have been given in India since the vaccination drive had kicked off on 16 January.
Vaccination will be provided free of charge at the government health facilities and will be on a payment basis at the private health facilities. All private hospitals can charge Rs 150 for vaccines and Rs 100 for service charges fixed by the central government.
Around 10,000 hospitals empanelled under Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY, and 687 hospitals under the CGHS can be used by states as COVID vaccination centres (CVCs).
(With IANS inputs.)
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