The Dalai Lama, the 85-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader, was given the first shot of the coronavirus vaccine on Saturday at a hospital in the northern Indian city of Dharamshala.
After receiving the injection, he urged people to be brave and to show up for the vaccine.
“To prevent some serious problems, this injection is very, very helpful,” 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 later. “He offered to come to the hospital as an ordinary man to get vaccinated,” he said.
Ten more people living in the Dalai Lama’s residence were also vaccinated, Gupta said. The 11 received the Covishield vaccine, a version of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine, manufactured by the India Serum Institute.
India: number of new coronavirus cases per day
India has confirmed more than 11 million cases of coronavirus and more than 157,000 deaths. The country, which has the second-highest number of cases in the world behind the United States, began its vaccination action in January, starting with health and front-line workers. Earlier this month, it extended its inoculation boost to the elderly and those with medical conditions that put them at risk.
The Dalai Lama made Dharamshala his headquarters in 1959, fleeing Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. China does not recognize the Tibetan government in exile and accuses the Dalai Lama of trying to separate Tibet from China.
The Dalai Lama denies being a separatist and claims that he only advocates substantial autonomy and protection of the region’s native Buddhist culture.