PUNE, India — “We have seen many deaths in the past months, and so I decided to take Covaxin, and encourage others to come forward and take the Covid-19 vaccination,” said Nandu Krushnarao Satpute, a 35-year-old medicinal practitioner at Aundh Government Hospital in India’s western city of Pune.
“I am completely fine after the shot.”
Synchronized efforts of security personnel, bureaucrats, and doctors, aided with technology, converged on Jan. 16 to start what Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the world’s largest Covid-19 vaccination drive.
Drawing from its experience in large-scale immunizations and elections for the world’s largest democracy, the government involved tens and thousands of officials from across ministries.