The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has removed the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from COVID-19 vaccination certificates. PM Modi’s image and the caption, “Together, India will defeat COVID-19,” have been featured on CoWIN certificates for a while. The quotation is still there today, and the certificates credit the prime minister.
Modi’s Picture Removed from Covid-19 Vaccination Certificates
Modi’s picture has previously been taken off of Covid-19 vaccination certificates. According to a 2022 article in The Print, the Prime Minister’s image was taken down in states that were scheduled for elections, such as Goa, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh, at the ECI’s request.
Many users on X conjectured that the recent disclosures regarding Covishield, which was produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII) under license from AstraZeneca, were the reason behind the modification of the vaccination certificate.
But shortly after, the Health Ministry addressed the matter. When asked why PM Modi’s picture was removed from the certificates, representatives of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reportedly responded that it was because of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) that was in place for the current Lok Sabha elections.
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Controversies Surrounding PM Modi’s Picture on Vaccination Certificates and Covishield Disclosures
Moreover, this is not the first time that PM Modi’s picture has been removed from vaccination records. In 2022, the Election Commission of India ordered that his picture be removed from certificates issued in five states: Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur, Goa, and Uttar Pradesh. This was done in advance of the states’ assembly elections.
The Kerala High Court questioned the issue in 2021 after PM Modi’s picture appeared on vaccination certificates, sparking controversy given his elected status. Then, in response to the claim that certificates from other nations did not have pictures of elected officials, Justice PV Kunhikrishnan retorted, “They may not be proud of their PMs, we are proud of our PM.”
The vaccine manufacturer, AstraZeneca, which collaborated with the University of Oxford to develop the Covid-19 vaccine, recently admitted in UK court filings that the vaccine may cause TTS, a rare side effect that includes low platelet counts, which are essential for clotting, and blood clots.
AstraZeneca’s Response Amidst UK Lawsuit
Nonetheless, in the midst of a class action lawsuit in the UK, the company restated its dedication to patient safety. The largest vaccine manufacturer in the world, Serum Institute of India (SII), produced the vaccine in India.
In the meantime, researchers and scientists believe that the side effect is extremely uncommon, occurring in only 7 or 8 persons per million. Adverse reactions are likely to appear in the first two to three months after vaccination, according to a former scientist with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
