Bhutan Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering, his Cabinet ministers and other Parliament representatives took COVID19 vaccine on Saturday.
More than 80,000 people across Bhutan were vaccinated as of 5.30 pm on Saturday (March 27).
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“The vaccination is still ongoing in most of the centres,” Bhutan PM Lotay Tshering said in a Facebook post.
The day saw a few reports of minor side-effects and a couple of adverse reactions, but all are in healthy and stable condition, the PM said.
“The unique strategy to carry out nationwide vaccination within a specified time-frame emanated from His Majesty’s guidance and wisdom,” he said.
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We share with you the video of Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering receiving the COVID-19 vaccine at 9.40am.
As the prime minister is in quarantine, following strict containment protocols, a distance had to be maintained for the video. https://t.co/AvvRu9dnBN
— PM Bhutan (@PMBhutan) March 27, 2021
Saying that vaccination is the “fastest and surest way of attaining herd immunity against the disease”, the Bhutan PM said, “Given the infection rate of the disease, we need above 70 per cent coverage in order to attain the desired herd immunity.”
“With the overwhelming support of all Bhutanese, we will be one of the first countries to achieve that,” Lotay Tshering said.
All the Cabinet ministers and all other Parliament representatives of Bhutan were also vaccinated on the same day.
“It is perhaps the first time in the world that Cabinet Ministers and all other Parliament representatives chose to get vaccinated around the same time on the same day,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.
Foreign minister Dr Tandi Dorji and education minister JB Rai received their COVID19 vaccines at the Lungtenzampa vaccination centre.
National Assembly speaker Wangchuk Namgyel and National Council chairperson Tashi Dorji were also at the same location.
Opposition leader Dorji Wangdi was in Zhemgang and took the injection there.
While agriculture minister Yeshey Penjor was in Trongsa and got vaccinated with the villagers at Chendebji, the finance minister Namgay Tshering chose to get vaccinated among his friends in Deyangkha, Paro.
Communications minister Karma Donnen took his jab at Department of Youth and Sports.
Labour minister Ugyen Dorji and works minister Dorji Tshering received their jab at Jigme Namgyel school vaccination centre.
The economic affairs and home ministers Loknath Sharma and Dasho Sherab Gyeltshen received their vaccines at the Royal Institute of Management in Simtokha.
The Bhutan health minister will receive the vaccine with the health workers in the following days.
Members of the Parliament and the Cabinet secretary of Bhutan also took their first dose.