A healthcare worker is given the COVID-19 vaccine shot. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa is also present at the site.

Vaccinators started inoculating healthcare and frontline workers simultaneously across many states of India, minutes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the country’s massive COVID-19 vaccination drive.

However, it was not immediately clear as to who was given the first COVID-19 vaccine dose in the country.

Manish Kumar, a sanitation worker, was the first to get the COVID-19 vaccine shot at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan was also present at the session site. AIIMS Director Dr. Randeep Guleria also took the vaccine.

#WATCH | Manish Kumar, a sanitation worker, becomes the first person to receive COVID-19 vaccine jab at AIIMS, Delhi in presence of Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan. pic.twitter.com/6GKqlQM07d

— ANI (@ANI) January 16, 2021

In Karnataka, a healthcare worker was the first to get the vaccine shot. State Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa was present at the event.

In Andhra Pradesh, B Krishna Kumari, a sanitation worker at the Health Department was the first to get the vaccine. In neighbouring Telangana, too, sanitation worker S Krishnamma received the first jab.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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While launching the vaccination drive, PM Modi said that the unprecedented exercise will help decisively end the coronavirus pandemic. “Such a vaccination drive, at such a massive scale, was never conducted in history. There are over 100 countries having less than three crore population and India is administering vaccination to three crore people in first phase itself. In second phase, we have to take this number to 30 crore,” the prime minister said.

कोविड लढ्यातील ऐतिहासिक क्षण!

A revolutionary moment in our #WarAgainstVirus pic.twitter.com/5JIRVD6PGc
— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) January 16, 2021

The prime minister reiterated that those facing the highest risk from the deadly disease will be vaccinated on priority. “Our doctors, nurses, medical staff and frontline workers, among others, have a right to be vaccinated first,” PM Modi said.

A healthcare worker is given the COVID-19 vaccine shot. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa is also present at the site.

PM Modi also said that those getting vaccinated should make sure that they get the second dose – that is to be taken after a gap of around one month.

The prime minister also asked the people to be aware of propaganda and rumours about the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines that have been approved for public use in India.

“Our Indian scientists and experts have guaranteed the safety of the vaccine, so the people of the country must not listen to any kind of propaganda and rumours surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine,” PM Modi said.

COVID-19 vaccination drive at Gautam Buddh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh

Priority is being given to healthcare and frontline workers, who had already been registered on the purpose-built CoWIN application. This would be sequentially followed by people with comorbidities, senior citizens and finally, the general public. The Centre is hoping to vaccinate 30 crore people by July, in a bid to stop the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved two vaccines – Covishield and Covaxin – for restricted emergency use. Beneficiaries will not be able to choose between the two jabs.

COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker: All you need to know about manufacturing and pricing

As of January 16, India had reported more than 1.05 crore confirmed COVID-19 cases. The death toll from the outbreak in the country stood at over 1.52 lakh. While more than 1.01 crore patients had recovered, 2.11 lakh cases remained ‘active’. Globally, more than 9.32 crore individuals have been infected by the virus and over 20 lakh people have died so far.

A speedy rollout of vaccines is being seen as the best way to curb the spread of COVID-19 and restore normalcy in the pandemic-battered global economy. More than 50 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have already vaccinated a large number of people from high-risk groups.

Click here for Moneycontrol’s full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic

Shot in the arm: Here are the first people to get COVID-19 vaccine across states

In most Indian states, the first COVID-19 vaccine shot was given to frontline workers.

A healthcare worker is given the COVID-19 vaccine shot. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa is also present at the site.

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