National Vaccination Day 2021: Amid The COVID-19 Vaccination Drive, Several Ministers Urge Twitterati To Get Inoculated Against The Virus

New Delhi: March 16 every year is celebrated in India as the National Vaccination Day, with an aim to highlight the importance of vaccination. The day was first observed in the year 1995, when India started the Pulse Polio Programme. This year, the National Vaccination Day is significant since the country has started its biggest vaccination drive, the COVID-19 immunisation programme, which has already crossed 3 crore mark. The COVID-19 pandemic has stressed on the importance of vaccinations, having caused more than 26 lakh deaths across the world.

In order to mark the National Vaccination Day 2021, several ministers as well as industry experts took to Twitter to urge people to get inoculated.

Union Heath Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan took the day to share the COVID vaccination status in the country. He tweeted,

#LargestVaccineDrive Over 3.29 crore Vaccine Doses administered across the country. Highest coverage in a Single Day with over 3 million vaccinations yesterday. More than 1 crore beneficiaries aged over 60 years covered in just 15 days.

Dr Vardhan also shared a sand art made by the students of Allahabad University based on the National Vaccination Day.

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Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prakash Javdekar asserted that ‘vaccination is the most effective way of preventing infectious disease.’

Tripura Chief Minister, Biplab Kumar Deb also tweeted to raise awareness about the importance of vaccines amid the COVID-19 crisis. He said,

Vaccines save lives, fear endangers them. Today as we observe, #NationalVaccinationDay, we need to reiterate the importance of timely vaccination for the good health of our loved ones. Vaccination is a crucial step towards stopping the spread of any disease or virus.

Also Read: COVID Vaccination: Experts Answer Queries Related To Coronavirus Vaccine And Comorbidities

Punjab Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh too urged his followers to get themselves and their family members vaccinated against COVID-19. He tweeted,

This #NationalVaccinationDay let’s pledge to ensure timely #Covid19 vaccine to elderly and people above 45 with co-morbidities. Our best chance of avoiding & fighting the 2nd wave of #Covid19 is following all precautions & timely vaccination.

Vaccinations play an important role in preventing the spread of contagious diseases and are vital for public health. On #NationalVaccinationDay, I salute the commitment of our scientists, doctors and healthcare professionals in establishing India as the pharmacy of the world, tweeted Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Minister of Steel, Dharmendra Pradhan.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, the Executive Chairperson of Biocon Limited, also took to twitter to laud India’s achievements in COVID-19 vaccination drive.

India has been a world pioneer in #vaccine development & caters to 60% of the world’s vaccine requirement. Even to tackle #COVID19, India has emerged as the dominant supplier of vaccines that can protect people from the novel coronavirus. #NationalVaccinationDay2021

Timely vaccination prevents atleast two to three million deaths every year from preventable diseases, tweeted Bharat Biotech, one of the two current COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers in the country.

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.