DHARMSALA, India (AP) – 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 hill town of Dharmsala.
After receiving the injection, he urged people to come forward, be brave and be vaccinated.
“To prevent serious problems, this injection is very, very useful,” he said.
Dr. GD Gupta of Zonal Hospital, where the shot was fired, told reporters that the Dalai Lama was then observed for 30 minutes. “He offered to come to the hospital like a normal man to get himself vaccinated,” he said.
Ten other people living in the Dalai Lama residence have also been vaccinated, Gupta said. All eleven received the Covishield vaccine, developed by Oxford University and the drug manufacturer AstraZeneca in the United Kingdom and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.
India has confirmed more than 11 million cases of coronavirus and more than 157,000 deaths. The country, with the second highest caseload in the world behind the US, implemented its vaccination process in January, starting with healthcare and front-line workers. Earlier this month, it expanded its vaccination system for older people and people with medical conditions that put them at risk.
The Dalai Lama made Dharmsala its headquarters in 1959 and fled Tibet following a failed uprising against the Chinese government. China does not recognize the Tibetan exile and accuses the Dalai Lama of trying to separate Tibet from China.
The Dalai Lama denies being a separatist and says he is only advocating for substantial autonomy and protection of the region’s indigenous Buddhist culture.