(Video) Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV) The Big Picture: World's Biggest Vaccination Drive

Topic: World's Biggest Vaccination Drive

Guest:

Dr. Raman R. Gangakhedkar, (Dr. C.G. Pandit National Chair, ICMR)
Urvashi Prasad, (Public Policy Specialist, Niti Aayog)
Dr. Punit Mishra, (Co-Investigator, COVAXIN, All India Institute of Medical Sciences)

Topic Description:

Ahead of the rollout of coronavirus vaccine on January 16th, Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with chief ministers of all states to discuss the COVID-19 situation and the vaccination roll-out in the country. It was the first meeting between the Prime Minister and the CMs after the Drug Controller General of India gave restricted, emergency-use approval to two vaccines Oxford Astrazeneca's vaccine Covishield, being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. Prime Minister Modi said India is entering a decisive phase of vaccination in the fight against COVID-19, asserting that the two approved made-in-India COVID-19 vaccines are more cost-effective than any other in the world and have been developed as per the country's needs. He announced that in the first phase, the cost of vaccination for the 3 crore healthcare workers and frontline warriors would be borne by the central government.