The Dalai Lama received his first vaccine shot against Covid-19 on Saturday, and took the opportunity to call on the wider public to do the same.
During the filmed event, the Dalai Lama asked people to get themselves vaccinated. “In order to prevent some serious problems, this injection is very very helpful and very good,” he said, adding "I want to share [that] more people should have the courage to take this injection."
The 85 year old Tibetan spiritual leader received the shot in a hospital in Dharamsala in Northern India, which serves as the headquarter for the Tibetan government in exile.
It is not clear which vaccine the Dalai Lama received. In India, regulators have approved a locally made vaccine, Covaxin, which according to preliminary data has an efficacy rate of 81%. AsztraZeneca is also administered to the public. The government is hoping to vaccinate 300 million citizens by July.
The Brussels Times
