India launched one of the world’s largest coronavirus vaccination drives on Saturday, setting in motion a complex deployment plan aimed at stemming the wide spread of infections across a nation of more than 1.3 billion people.
At hospitals and vaccination centers across major cities — from Mumbai to New Delhi — tens of thousands of key front-line workers began queuing, some to receive the first vaccines while others to administer them. Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off the program with a speech addressing more than 3,000 centers across India where the first shots were to be given.
"These vaccines will help India win the battle against the virus,” Modi said, adding that Indians should get the shots and not pay heed to any anti-vaccine propaganda.