NEW DELHI: India today kicked off the world's biggest vaccination drive against the deadly Covid-19 (Novel Corona) virus with the first jab administered to a frontline sanitation Manish Kumar at the Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), in the presence of Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan. 

The ambitious vaccination drive is aimed at ending the pandemic which so far has killed 1,52,093 people in the country in early 2020, while infecting 10,543,659. At present, Kerala and Maharashtra are reporting the highest number of daily cases.

With a view to instil confidence and wade off any apprehensions on the vaccine, senior medical professionals of several large institutions also received the first doses, prime among them were AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria and Dr A K Singh, Director Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, in Lucknow.

Early in the morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched India’s Covid-19 mammoth inoculation exercise in a virtual address, where he paid rich tributes to front line healthcare workers including doctors, nurses, para medics and sanitation workers. 

An emotional charged PM dwelled at length on the contribution of Covid warriors who endangered their lives to save other. "They gave precedence to their duty for humanity over their personal interest. Some of them didn’t even return to their homes as they lost their lives in the fight against the virus," Modi said. 

PM Modi said that in the first round itself, 3 crore people, which is more than population of at least 100 countries of the world, will be vaccinated. He said that this needs to be taken up to 30 crores in the second round when elderly and people with serious co-morbidities will be vaccinated. 

A total of 3006 session sites across all States and UTs have been set up which are virtually connected during the launch, and around 100 beneficiaries will be vaccinated at each session site on the inaugural day. They will be given either of India’s two indigenous vaccines, Covaxin or Covishield. Everyone who gets a vaccine today will have to receive two doses of the same vaccine, 28 days apart.

"This scale of vaccination campaign has never been attempted in history and this shows India’s capability," PM Modi said further adding that people should not let their guard down and strictly abide by coronavirus preventive norms even after vaccination. "Dawai bhi, par kadai bhi, I request you not to make the mistake of taking off the mask and not maintaining social distancing," he said.

In an address to the Chief Ministers on Monday, PM Modi had said that the Centre will bear the cost of vaccinating 3 crore healthcare and frontline workers in the first phase of the vaccination.