Prime Minister Narendra Modi will likely inaugurate the country's vaccination drive against the coronavirus through video conferencing, sources said. The inoculation campaign, billed as the world's largest, is scheduled to start from January 16.
PM Modi will likely virtually interact with health workers at some locations on the day of the launch of the vaccine drive, sources said, adding select hospitals in states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi have been asked to make preparations.
Health and frontline workers at Delhi's Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital - one of the country's biggest Covid hospitals - will get vaccinated first. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and minister Satyendar Jain will attend the inaugural event.
The country's drug regulator has approved Covishield, the Oxford vaccine being manufactured by Serum Institute of India, and Bharat Biotech's homegrown Covaxin for restricted emergency use.
India's COVID-19 caseload increased to 1,04,95,147 with 15,968 infections being reported in a day, while the recoveries have surged to 1,01,29,111 pushing the national recovery rate to 96.51 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday. The deaths increased to 1,51,529 with 202 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.
Meanwhile, the North and South Delhi Municipal Corporations have banned the sale of chicken in their respective regions, following confirmation of bird flu cases in the national capital. The civic bodies also warned hotels and restaurants of action if they served egg-based dishes or poultry meat.
