Harsh Vardhan: 96,000 vaccinators have been trained

A day after the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination dry run, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said that the entire drive was based on a selection process planned down to the booth level as in an election. The minister said that 96,000 vaccinators had been trained so far and over 57,000 participants across 719 districts had completed the training.

India conducted a nationwide mock drill at 285 session sites to test the end-to-end planned operations including the system which has been set up to ensure smooth conduct of the Covid-19 vaccination that is likely to begin soon.

Dr Harsh Vardhan announced that details of 27 crore priority beneficiaries who will be vaccinated against Covid-19 until July are currently being finalised.

Warning citizens not to fall prey to rumours and disinformation campaigns regarding the safety and efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccine, he reminded them that similar campaigns were run against polio vaccination but people took it and India is now polio-free now.

Several rumours and conspiracy theories are being propagated on social media about the Covid-19 vaccine globally. 

According to a recent poll, only 40% of people in France were willing to be vaccinated as there was widespread public scepticism about the vaccine.

The Lancet quoted a report by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) which blasted social media companies for allowing the anti-vaccine movement to remain on their platforms.

Recently, Mumbai’ Raza Academy, All India Hindu Mahasabha and a cleric from UP’s Darul Uloom Deoband expressed concerns over Covid-19 vaccine content.

Calling the Chinese vaccine haram for Muslims as it reportedly contains pork gelatin Raza Academy requested the government to show them the content of the vaccine so that they can make announcements regarding vaccination.

Raza Academy wrote a letter to the World Health Organisation (WHO) raising apprehensions over the contents of the vaccine.

Similar concerns were raised by All India Hindu Mahasabha President Swami Chakrapani, who claimed there was an international conspiracy to destroy religion by including cow’s blood, meat or fat in the name of corona vaccine.

Chakrapani wrote a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind, saying the Centre and pharmaceutical companies involved in the development of Covid-19 vaccine should clarify whether the vaccine contains cow’s blood.