Frontline workers, high-risk groups should get Covid vaccine first: Jaggi Vasudev

Bengaluru: Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev is strongly in favour of high-risk groups and frontline workers getting top priority in receiving Covid vaccine. He said he would be the last person to get vaccinated.

"If you ask me about vaccines, I would be the last person to get vaccinated against any pandemic including Covid-19. I would address the reason why I am saying this later. But, top priority should be accorded to high-risk population groups like policemen, doctors, and marginalized workers among others. They should get the vaccine first to arrest the pandemic in India," he said in a virtual interaction at the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2020.

Sadhguru added that the vaccine should also be given to vulnerable people (elderly) who are at a greater risk of developing severe complications because of low immunity and co-morbidities. The Central government has prepared a draft policy document to administer vaccines, and shared it with State governments for gathering inputs from them. The government is also in the process of finalizing the databases of various priority population groups that will be administered the vaccine if and when it becomes available.

Referring to his statement that he would be the last person to get vaccinated, Sadhguru, in a conversation with Chief Scientist at the World Health Organization Dr. Soumya Swaminathan in October 2019, Sadhguru had cautioned about the side-effects or negative impacts of vaccinations.

"The significance of vaccination against many debilitating diseases should not be played down. But at the same time, it is important it is not overdone, without taking into consideration the many side-effects or negative impacts of vaccinations," he said.

Sadhguru said, "I feel the WHO should tell parents that "this much is not needed – these vaccines are compulsory, and the rest are by choice. If it is made like that, I think there will be a more healthy proportion."

However, vaccines have brought power and wellbeing to people's lives, he observed. "Most of us are sitting here because we were vaccinated. Otherwise, we would definitely not be here," he added.