Kailash Kher

New Delhi, 16th October: The central government on Saturday launched a “vaccination anthem” penned by singer Kailash Kher to dispel myths and shed vaccine hesitancy.

The song written by Kailash Kher, produced by the Oil & Gas PSUs, was launched by petroleum and natural gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri, and health and family welfare minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

On the occasion, Mandaviya said that India will cross the landmark of 100-crore Covid-19 vaccine doses next week.

Till this evening, as many as “97.23 crore have been administered the first dose of Covid vaccine in the country”, he said at the launch event.

The vaccines administered suggest about 70% of the population get at least one dose and about 30% of the population has got two doses, he said.

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“We administered 2.5 crore doses one single day on September 17 and next week we will reach the 100 crore mark,” he said. “This has happened because of the effort put in by all.”

Covid-19 infections are decreasing in India, with 15,981 new infections reported in a day, according to official data on Saturday. That’s 4% of the peak – the highest daily average reported on May 9 this year.

The minister said while it takes 5-10 years to test and develop vaccines, India has researched and developed an in-house vaccine, and to add to the complex manufacturing, the humongous logistics involving setting up cold chains, airport transfers, delivery to states, local storage and last-mile connectivity were set up in no time.

Further, Puri said vaccination has now become a people’s movement despite the negative narrative and falsehood spread by some in the country.

“It is not the government which is the enemy, it is the virus which is the enemy,” he said referring to the narrative opposition parties tried to build around the vaccination drive in the country.