New Delhi: The Union health ministry has made a notable change to the CoWIN certificates for Covid-19 vaccinations by removing the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Previously, these certificates prominently featured Modi’s image along with a quote affirming India’s collective resolve to conquer coronavirus. While the quote – “Together, India will defeat COVID-19” – remains attributed to the prime minister, his name has been omitted from the certificates, The Hindu reported.
Following vaccine manufacturer AstraZeneca’s admission in a UK court, discussions on Covishield’s potential association with Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS), a rare side effect involving blood clotting, have resurfaced. In India, many have examined their vaccination certificates in light of this development.
Some users on the microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter) noticed a significant change: the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photograph on the Covid-19 vaccination certificates issued in India. X user Sandeep Manudhane said, “Modi ji no more visible on COVID Vaccine certificates. Just downloaded to check – yes, his pic is gone.”
Another user, Irfan Ali, who identified himself as a Congress functionary, said, “Yes, I just checked and PM Modi’s photo has disappeared and there is only QR code instead of his photo.”
Officials from the ministry of health and family welfare, however, told ThePrint on Tuesday that the image was removed from the vaccine certificate due to the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) being in place for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time Modi’s photo was removed from Covid vaccination certificates.
