Rolling out of Covid-19 vaccination will start soon: Harsh Vardhan

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Saturday said coronavirus vaccination roll-out will start soon in India, and the country will also work towards making low-cost, safe and effective vaccines available to the entire world.

Addressing the 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2021, he said after months of collaborative brainstorming and building upon vaccine distribution expertise, India has streamlined the COVID-19 vaccination process.

"India has finally built a state-of-the-art digital platform for COVID-19 vaccine delivery called CoWIN. A critical part of our strategy involves maintaining confidence in the safety of vaccines in the possibility of adverse events following immunisation," he said.

Vardhan said the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines will start "very soon".

"India has finally received emergency approval from the apex regulator for two vaccines and we will be rolling out vaccination drives very soon," he said.

The minister also underlined the country's resolve in making low-cost, safe and effective vaccines available to the world.

"The fight against the pandemic is far from over. The Indian government is doing everything possible, but that does not imply that there is scope for laxity for approach towards our own safety even post vaccination," he added.

Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, who was also present at the event, said India has always been in the forefront when it comes to global cooperation, and it played a pivotal role in the supply of medicines, test kits and protection gears to over 150 countries while addressing domestic shortages of essential commodities.

"We believe that through the confluence of our diaspora's knowledge and expertise we can overcome the momentary impediment that COVID-19 has brought in the pace of India's rapid growth," he said.

Muraleedharan said the pandemic has presented both challenges and opportunities.

"Challenges have come in the form of preparedness, managing with limited resources... while this pandemic also gave us an opportunity to reflect on how to do things better," he said.

"We must now focus on the recovery process in making this world and especially our country a better place where we can take care of each other's needs and give our children a greener planet," the minister added.

Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla said the pandemic has taken a heavy toll in terms of human lives and hardships caused to the people.

"The pandemic is leaving a lasting imprint especially in all domains, including economy and society. We need to prepare ourselves for the changes that the post-COVID world will bring and opportunities it would present, and how India could take advantage of these opportunities," he said.

"We have made our commitment clear to make vaccine supply both accessible and affordable to meet the requirements of our neighbouring countries and other partners and the whole of humanity," Shringla added.

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