The Vice-President, M Venkaiah Naidu, today, urged the scientific fraternity to focus on expediting Covid-19 vaccine development for children.
Naidu emphasised that the vaccination drive against Covid-19 should become a pan-India ‘Jan Andolan’ and appealed to the people to immunise themselves by taking the required vaccine doses.
Addressing scientists and staff of Bharat Biotech International Limited, after a visit to its plant at Genome Valley in Hyderabad, he said “there is no room for vaccine hesitancy”.
Naidu also commended the development of a nasal Covid vaccine as an important initiative. It can reduce vaccine hesitancy and improve ease of administering, he said.
“It is now clear that vaccination is preventing hospitalisation and severe disease when infected,” he added.
The Vice-President also advised the media to educate the masses on the gains of vaccination. He also urged the leaders from the medical fraternity to educate the people to adopt a healthy lifestyle, along with shedding vaccine hesitancy.
Cautioning people against becoming complacent by the temporary decline in Covid-19 cases, he said “let us be responsible citizens and not behave in a careless manner by violating Covid protocols,”
He appealed to the people to continue with masking, physical distancing and personal hygiene.