New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi took his first shot of Covid- 19 vaccine on Monday morning at AIIMS, New Delhi. India expands the Covid- 19 vaccination drive to people over 60 and those over 45 who have illnesses.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his tweet said that “Remarkable how our doctors and scientists have worked in quick time to strengthen the global fight against Covid-19,” as he shared an image of himself taking first dose of the vaccine. PM Modi also appealed to all those who are eligible to take the vaccine. “Together, let us make India Covid-19 free,” he said. Modi was administered home-grown Covaxin, developed by Bharat Biotech and the ICMR.

More vaccines are likely to be approved for use in the coming months, including Russia’s Sputnik-V and Cadila Healthcare’s ZyCov-D. India will expand its Covid- 19 vaccination programme Monday morning at 9 am to cover people over 60 and those over 45 who have illnesses as it hopes to rein in a growing number of more infectious virus strains and a spurt in cases in some states.

Registrations are set to open at 9 am at www.cowin.gov.in and the Aarogya Setu app and there will be walk-in vaccinations in some places as well. India began its vaccination drive on January 16 intending to inoculate three crore frontline workers but has struggled with hesitancy, giving out some 1.43 crore shots so far. The government hopes to vaccinate 30 crore people by August in this second phase.