The Dalai Lama, the 85-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader, was given the first shot of the coronavirus vaccine at a hospital in the northern Indian city of Dharamshala on Saturday.
After receiving the injection, he urged people to be brave and show up to be vaccinated.
“To prevent some serious problems, this injection is very, very useful,” he said.
Dr. GD Gupta, from the zonal hospital where the shooting was administered, told reporters that the Dalai Lama was observed for 30 minutes afterwards. “He offered to come to the hospital like an ordinary man to get vaccinated,” he said.
Ten other people living in the Dalai Lama’s residence were also vaccinated, Gupta said. All 11 received the Covishield vaccine, a version of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine, manufactured by India Serum Institute.
India: number of new coronavirus cases per day
India has confirmed over 11 million cases of coronavirus and over 157,000 deaths. The country, which has the second-highest number of cases in the world behind the United States, began its vaccination process in January, starting with health care workers and front-line workers. Earlier this month, he expanded his inoculation effort to the elderly and those with medical conditions that endanger them.
The Dalai Lama made Dharamshala his headquarters in 1959, fleeing Tibet after a failed revolt against Chinese rule. China does not recognize the Tibetan government in exile and accuses the Dalai Lama of seeking to separate Tibet from China.
The Dalai Lama denies being a separatist and says he is only advocating for substantial autonomy and the protection of the Buddhist culture native to the region.