The best way to endorse any product is if the founder or its top management uses it. Same holds true for a vaccine, in fact, adds more confidence into the product. After COVID-19 pandemic choke-slammed people's hopes and faith, anything short of a grand gesture wouldn't get through to people. That's exactly what owner and CEO of Serum Institute Adar Poonawalla did to prove Covishield – one of the two vaccines approved for emergency use in India – is safe and effective.
Poonawalla shared a video of him getting the Covishield vaccine on camera. In doing so, he wants to endorse the vaccine's safety and efficacy, clearing any doubts and fears that Indians might have before getting the shot.
"I wish India and Sri Narendra Modi ji great success in launching the world's largest COVID vaccination roll-out. It brings me great pride that #COVISHIELD is part of this historic effort and to endorse its safety and efficacy, I join our health workers in taking the vaccine myself," Poonawalla wrote on Twitter while sharing a video of his vaccination.
India's vaccination drive
Pune-based Serum Institute of India's Covishield vaccine was developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and the other vaccine Covaxin has been developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech in collaboration with ICMR and National Institute of Virology. Both the vaccines are being administered to health workers, elderly and those who are suffering from a serious illness.
Poonawalla had earlier said that the Covisheild vaccine would be provided to the government at the rate of Rs 200 per dose while private companies can get it for Rs 1,000 per dose. The recipients must get two doses of the vaccine.
On Saturday, Prime Minster Narendra Modi launched the world's largest COVID-19 vaccination drive in India, aiming to end the pandemic that has killed more than 1.5 lakh people and crippled the country's economy. India is vaccinating 3 crore people in the first phase of vaccination drive, which will be scaled up to 30 crore in the second phase. Currently, Covishield and Covaxin are approved vaccines for emergency use in India.
