Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mother Heeraben Modi, got the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday. The announcement was made via Twitter by the Prime Minister.

He also encouraged those who are willing to get the COVID-19 vaccine to do so.

“I’m happy to say that my mother got her first dose of COVID-19 vaccine today. I implore all to assist and encourage all who are willing to receive the vaccine,” the PM posted on Twitter.

The first dose of COVID-19 vaccine was given to the PM’s mother as part of the second phase of the vaccination drive, which was extended on March 1 to cover senior citizens (aged 60 and up) and others over 45 with unique co-morbidities.

On March 1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the COVID-19 vaccine when he was given the first dose at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi.

The PM’s mother was given a vaccine shot of Covaxin, an indigenously produced vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech.

Beginning January 16, 2021, India has been prescribing two COVID-19 vaccines: Covaxin and Covishield, which were developed by the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom and pharma giant AstraZeneca. The Serum Institute of India, which manufactures Covishield, is located in India.