Heena Sharma Blog

  Former US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) urged his supporters to take the COVID-19 vaccine , as a growing number of Republicans remain opposed to get vaccinated. In an interview with Fox News, Trump was asked if he would recommend his supporters voluntarily receive the coronavirus vaccine. "I would. I would recommend it and I would recommend it to a lot of people that don't want to get it and a lot of those people voted for me, frankly. But again, we have our freedoms and we have to live by them and I agree with that also. But it is a great vaccine. It is a safe vaccine and it is something that works," he said. Trump further said that pharmaceutical companies and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have been working "around the clock" to develop the various vaccinations. Read More

  National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci on Thursday said that the coronavirus vaccine rollout hasn't gone as he expected adding that it has been 'disappointing'. "We would have liked to have seen it run smoothly and have 20 million doses into people today by the end of 2020, which was the projection," Fauci said during an appearance on "Today", as quoted by The Hill and added, "Obviously, it didn't happen, and that's disappointing." The outgoing US President Donald Trump's administration had touted a goal of getting 20 million people the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the year but it was reported that the actual number will fall far short of that mark. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID data tracker stated that about 2.8 million people have received their first vaccine dose as of Thursday. Read More  

The US has welcomed the post-election statement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on inclusivity, saying his re-election was a "clear" mandate for his vision of a strong, inclusive and prosperous India that plays a leading role on the global stage. Modi last week said that his government will now begin "a new journey to build a new India with new energy" and reached out to minorities, saying the ruling alliance must win their trust and work without any discrimination. "We certainly welcome Prime Minister Modi's post-election statements that have emphasised inclusivity that no one should be left behind, that there should be no distinction between Indian citizens, that the government should rule with the trust of everyone," a senior State Department official told a group of reporters hours after Modi was sworn in for the second five-year term in office. Prime Minister Modi was on Thursday administered the oath of office and secrecy by President