However, there are certain prominent world leaders who have taken the COVID-19 vaccine to allay the fear, and anxiety among certain people.
Along with India, there are several countries around the world that have started their vaccination drive against the deadly COVID-19 virus.
PM Modi launched India's coronavirus vaccination drive via video conference on January 16.
The world's largest vaccination programme in India will take place in all the states and union territories across the length and breadth of the country.
The first phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive will cover three crore healthcare and frontline workers, as they are getting vaccinated first in this drive. The vaccine is provided free of cost for this targeted phase.
Modi has categorically stated that politicians will not be included in the priority category, and therefore will not be inoculated in the first phase.
However, there are certain prominent world leaders who have taken the COVID-19 vaccine to allay the fear, and anxiety that rests among certain section of the population regarding the immunsation drive. The fear comes partly from the fact that the vaccine-making process was aggressively fastracked, casting aspersions on the its effectiveness.
1. Joe Biden
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US President-elect Joe Biden got his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine live on television, last month.
Biden, a 78-year old man, is in the high-risk category. He congratulated the frontline warriors after receiving the vaccine.
My number one priority is getting people vaccinated as quickly as we can to get our country back on track. pic.twitter.com/JLY1DntIlR
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 12, 2021
"My number one priority is getting the vaccine in people's arms," Biden explains in the instructional video.
He got the second dose last week.
2. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was vaccinated against Covid-19 on December 20, kicking off the country’s nationwide inoculation exercise.
On December 20, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was inoculated against COVID-19. He along with Health Minister Yuli Edelstein got vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine live on television.
Netanyahu's vaccine jab kicked off the country’s nationwide inoculation exercise.
“I asked to be vaccinated first, together with Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, to serve as personal examples and encourage you to be vaccinated,” Netanyahu said.
מקבל את הזריקה השנייה במבצע ״חוזרים לחיים״ - כל אזרחי ישראל יחוסנו תוך 2-3 חודשים ונוכל לפתוח את הכלכלה שלנו!
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) January 9, 2021
(צילום: עמוס בן גרשום, לע״מ) pic.twitter.com/I5ni9yidCx
3. Kamala Harris
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A week after Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris got her first dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine in front of the media.
“Today I got the Covid-19 vaccine. I am incredibly grateful to our frontline health care workers, scientists, and researchers who made this moment possible,” Harris tweeted.
4. Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed Bin Salman
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Saudi Arabia’s King Salman received his first of two Covid-19 vaccine jab earlier this month, over three weeks after the middle eastern kingdom launched a three-phase inoculation programme, AFP reported.
Last month, Saudi Arabia approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for innoculation throughout the country.
5. Queen Elizabeth
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Last week, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, 94, and her husband Prince Philip, 99, were vaccinated against Covid-19 at Windsor Castle, AFP reported.
Last month, the UK became the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for emergency use. The nationwide immunisation program is underway in England.
