DHARMSALA, India (AP) – The 85-year-old Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, received his first coronavirus vaccine on Saturday at a hospital in the northern Indian city of Dharmsala.
After receiving the injection, he urged people to show up, be brave and get vaccinated.
“To prevent some serious problems, this injection is very, very useful,” he said.
Dr. GD Gupta of 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 eleven received the Covishield vaccine, which was developed by Oxford University and the British doctor AstraZeneca and manufactured by the Indian Serum Institute.
India has confirmed over 11 million cases of coronavirus and over 157,000 deaths. The country, which has the second largest number of cases in the world behind the United States, launched its vaccination attempt in January, starting with health and front-line workers. Earlier this month, it expanded its inoculation unit the elderly and those with medical conditions that endanger them.
The Dalai Lama made Dharmsala 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.