Bhutan rolls out nationwide Covid-19 vaccination program

Bhutan initiated its nationwide Covid-19 vaccination program on Saturday.

A 30-year-old woman was the first one to get a jab of Covishield vaccine on Saturday morning in Thimphu city, reported Xinhua

Bhutan Prime Minister, Lotay Tshering, took his jab right after returning from Bangladesh a day before and is currently in his quarantine period, according to an update from Prime Minister's office.

In order to spread awareness about the safety of the Covid-19 vaccine and that it far outweighs the risk of the COVID-19 virus, the prime minister decided to get vaccinated on the first day along with his family of 50 members.

Cabinet ministers have also been inoculated along with other parliament representatives.

Vaccines have been distributed to all 20 districts across the country, as the country expects to run the mass vaccination within a week's time.

Earlier, Bhutan thanked the people of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sending consignments of Covid vaccine that would cover its population of slightly over 533,500.

Bhutan was the first country to receive India's gift of the COVID vaccines, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII). Bhutan received the first consignment of 1.5 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccine Covishield as a gift from India in January. Earlier this week as it received a gift of additional 400,000 doses of Covishield from India.

Bhutan is likely to be one of the first countries to protect its entire population against Covid-19, with assistance from India, according to a release.

According to Johns Hopkins University data, Bhutan has reported 869 coronavirus cases and one death so far.

( With inputs from ANI )