Equal distribution of COVID vaccines is want of the hour: AIIMS director Randeep Guleria

By Express News Service

NEW DELHI:  All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director Randeep Guleria on Monday known as for an equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines throughout the globe, saying “nobody is safe until everyone is safe”. He highlighted that if it doesn’t occur, coronavirus will proceed to mutate.

Speaking on the inaugural session of a two-day lecture collection organised by the JNU’s Centre for Canadian, US, and Latin American Studies, Guleria lauded the nation’s vaccination programme. “India has done remarkably well as far as our vaccine programme is concerned… It is something that we should be proud of. Almost 97 per cent of Indians aged 18 and above have received the first dose of vaccine. This is a remarkable achievement,” he stated.

He added, “It is important that there should be an equitable distribution of vaccines all around the world. No one is safe unless everyone is safe.” The two-day lecture collection on ‘COVID-19 and the engaged democracies with particular reference to Canada and India’ has been funded by Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute (SICI).

The occasion was additionally attended by JNU Vice Chancellor Santishree D Pandit and SICI Director Prachi Kaul. Addressing the occasion, the AIIMS director famous that the virus, which has raged on for 26 months and claimed 6 million lives worldwide, will regularly change into an endemic.

He additionally identified that the pandemic has impacted each sphere of life – healthcare, economic system, schooling, tourism amongst others. “After the first COVID-19 case, it has been a roller coaster ride.  We know sooner or later that this pandemic will end,” he stated. 

Asserting that the World Health Organisation has deemed vaccine hesitancy as one of many high ten international well being threats, Guleria stated that information from numerous research reveals that in comparison with the western nations, there’s not a lot vaccine hesitancy in India.